Denzel Ward gets 2/$62.2M extension from Browns

Browns beat writers have been very careful to say that they don’t know why Ward didn’t participate in mandatory minicamp — Todd Monken said nothing when asked about it — but it does have the whiff of a hold in situation. Ward has no guaranteed salary remaining on his deal entering his age-29 season, so it feels like a no-brainer for him to get some sort of adjustment.

Berry fielded questions after trading EDGE Myles Garrett to the Rams in exchange for EDGE Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick. Understandably, reporters wanted to know if Ward, whom the team drafted via the No. 4 overall pick in 2018, one year after the team drafted Garrett No. 1 overall, was also available for trade. Berry restructured both players’ contracts this offseason and told the media that Garrett was not on the trade block. He could be telling the truth here, but the fact remains that trading away a talented, yet aging, cornerback could net decent draft capital for a team that is seemingly attempting a speedy reset.

The franchise converted a $2.5 million roster bonus into a signing bonus, saving $2 million against the cap in 2026 while adding $500,000 to his cap hit for each subsequent season. This comes a day after the Browns restructured the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson. The rebuilding Browns remain unlikely to make major splashes in free agency but at least these moves give them options in the coming months.

Teller was questionable entering the weekend but has been ruled out. Backup Teven Jenkins will start in his place. In addition to Teller, the Browns have also ruled out CB Denzel Ward, RB Dylan Sampson, DT Mike Hall Jr., WR Jamari Thrash, TE David Njoku, and DT Sam Kamara.

He didn’t practice all week for the second-straight week and, again, carries some IR shutdown risk over the weekend ahead of Sunday’s game. If he remains active, Ward starts Week 17 firmly on the questionable line.

Ward did not practice at any point this week since suffering the injury in Week 14. He certainly could be a candidate for an IR shut down with the Browns eliminated from the playoffs. Ward has had the worst PFF coverage grade of his career so far in 2025, at 54.4 in 701 defensive snaps.

Kevin Stefanski had no update on Ward’s status on Monday, but the rule-out was not encouraging. We’ll monitor his practice status, but we imagine he’s likely on the doubtful side of questionable for Week 15 at this point.

Ward was listed with a migraine on the Browns’ Wednesday injury report. It doesn’t seem like his migraine is tied to any concussion or head injury, so we would expect Ward to be able to recover and play in Week 13 against the 49ers. Also not practicing defensively for the Browns were DE Alex Wright (quad) and DT Adin Huntington (quad). Both Wright and Huntington are in jeopardy of missing Week 13, though practice reports later in the week will provide clarity.

He’ll play against the Bengals after notching a full practice upgrade on Friday. Ward had two limited sessions earlier in the week and has been dealing with this shoulder injury since the middle of August. We hope Mr. Ward enjoys his afternoon chasing Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase around.

The Browns have a lengthy injury report ahead of Week 1, though only one player actually missed Wednesday’s practice entirely. That was defensive tackle Mike Hall, who is still recovering from the season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 18 of last year. Hall avoided the PUP list, meaning he shouldn’t be out for long, even if he misses Week 1. The remainder of the Browns, including Ward, don’t appear to be at risk of missing the team’s opener versus Cincinnati.