Browns’ stance on trading Denzel Ward has been revealed

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Browns’ stance on trading Denzel Ward has been revealed

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jun 1, 2026 5:09 PM ET

The Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL world Monday by trading star edge rusher Myles Garrett, but that deal does not necessarily mean they are open for business.

The Browns are not pursuing any sort of fire sale after trading Garrett, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The decision to trade Garrett was made because of the value being offered in return by the Los Angeles Rams, not because the team was looking to get rid of him.

In addition, teams that have asked about trading for cornerback Denzel Ward have been given a “hard no” by the Browns.

Few Browns notes on Myles Garrett trade from @SportsCenter

*Browns' desire for a young, ascending pass rusher (and Jared Verse, specifically), shrunk candidate pool. Per team source, this was a Rams-specific deal because Rams 'hounded' CLE for a while.

*Myles Garrett did not…
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) June 1, 2026

The Garrett trade appears to have been a rare case of one team making another team an offer that was simply too good to refuse . In this case, the Browns had the opportunity to get a quality young player in Jared Verse along with a parcel of draft picks, and decided it was worth doing.

Ward has two years remaining on his current contract and is still one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks. He was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl last season and made it for the third straight year. Perhaps a team could overwhelm the Browns as the Rams did with Garrett, but it appears unlikely.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: