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5 players who Browns need to be great in 2019

By William Schneiderhan

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 30: New York Giants outside linebacker Olivier Vernon (54) during the National Football League game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys on December 30, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 30: New York Giants outside linebacker Olivier Vernon (54) during the National Football League game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys on December 30, 2018 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 25, 2018: Cornerback Denzel Ward #21 of the Cleveland Browns awaits the snap in the fourth quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 25, 2018 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cleveland won 35-20. (Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 25, 2018: Cornerback Denzel Ward #21 of the Cleveland Browns awaits the snap in the fourth quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 25, 2018 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cleveland won 35-20. (Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

5. Denzel Ward, Cornerback

Defensively, the Browns couldn’t figure it out in 2018. The team was ranked down towards the bottom of the league in both pass and run defense.

Based off that defensive performance, it is shocking that the Browns were as competitive as they were. Although, the team force the second-highest amount of turnovers in the NFL with 31, which made up for some of the defensive deficiencies.

Rookie Denzel Ward played a large part in forcing those turnovers, as he had three interceptions and one forced fumble in 13 games. In his first career game, he had two picks. Pro Football Focus gave him a 78.9 defense rating.

Ward proved to be worth the fourth-overall pick in the draft after many people thought Dorsey jumped the gun on selecting the former Ohio State Buckeye that high.

Now, Ward is one of the most important players on the team’s roster. Dorsey didn’t go out of his way to add another veteran, number-two corner this spring. Instead, he brought in some rotational corners and drafted Greedy Williams.

It may be too much to ask for a second-year player to be great, but Ward must play to that Pro Bowl level again in 2019. The Browns bucked the rebuild path this offseason and went from a team building towards the future, to a team ready to compete for years to come.

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