Cornerback Denzel Ward turned in an excellent rookie season for the Browns and nabbed a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl roster in recognition of his efforts, but he’s not sure how much he’ll be playing in Orlando on Sunday.
Ward suffered two concussions at the tail end of the regular season and missed three of the team’s final four games as a result. He’s been cleared through the concussion protocol, but said that he’s not sure how much he’ll play as he tries to stay healthy heading into the offseason.
“I’ll definitely, I’ll get out there and just have some fun a little bit,” Ward said, via Cleveland.com. “I don’t know how much I’ll play, but we’ll see. Just making sure I’m being safe for the upcoming season. That’s what my main focus us. But definitely going to go out there, and whatever plays I do have, have fun with that.”
General Manager John Dorsey said “more power to him” when asked about Ward playing in the exhibition game after being cleared from the head injuries.
Former Browns defensive coordinator and interim head coach Gregg Williams said near the end of the season that he wanted to work on Ward’s tackling technique in order to avoid future head injuries. Williams is no longer with the team, but interim head coach Freddie Kitchens said this week that he’s “going to stress” the same thing with the 2018 first-round pick.
