5 players who Cleveland Browns need to be great in 2020

3. CB Denzel Ward

Ward has pretty much lived up to the hype since being drafted fourth overall in 2018. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2018, the followed with a solid season in 2019 (44 total tackles, two interceptions, 11 pass breakups). But he has also been a little banged up thus far in his career, missing at least three games in both seasons.

Ward allowed just one touchdown in his coverage last year, with a completion rate allowed of 48.2 percent (Pro Football Reference) or 49.1 percent (Pro Football Focus) depending on the source. In Player Profiler’s Coverage Rating metric, Ward came in No. 2 last year with top-10 rankings in all of that site’s partially fantasy-tilted efficiency numbers.

Cleveland is trying to put together a formidable young secondary, with second-round draft pick investments in cornerback Greedy Williams in 2019 and safety Grant Delpit this year. Ward may transition into a role as a leader in just this third season, but he is a shutdown corner who will also do a lot of speaking with his play as an example to follow. A season where he tops his career total in interceptions (five) would not be surprising.