This hasn’t been a monster statistical season for Denzel Ward. Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz admitted as much this week when he said Ward’s latest Pro Bowl nod was more about league-wide respect than interceptions.
Ward missed the Browns’ last two games with a nagging calf injury, and with the team currently playing out the string, no one would have batted an eye if Cleveland’s franchise cornerback just shut it down for the remainder of the season.
As Browns fans know — that’s not Denzel Ward.
He told reporters back in Week 15 that he was hoping to play, even if both he and the team knew it was a long shot.