NFL insiders think Browns will make this Denzel Ward move after Myles Garrett trade

Days after the Cleveland Browns traded star pass-rusher Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, cornerback Denzel Ward insisted that he "definitely still" wants to stay with the Browns. 

As Bobby Kownack of the NFL's website noted, Ward's existing contract has two years and no remaining guaranteed money attached to it. On Monday, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand suggested that Cleveland could make Ward available for trade later this year. 

Denzel Ward worth more to the Browns as a tradeable asset than as a player? 

"[General manager Andrew Berry] has been remaking the Browns’ roster the past two seasons," Grossi explained. "The unspoken goal is to build a playoff-contending team to take into (team owner) Jimmy Haslam’s $2.3B covered stadium in Brook Park in 2029. ...Ward remains one of the league’s best cornerbacks and now – with Garrett’s departure – the team’s best player. But his value to the team can also be viewed another way. He is the last best trade chip Berry has to play."

Many members of the NFL community feel that the Browns currently have no long-term starting quarterback on their roster. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Cleveland fifth among the betting favorites at +1050 odds to finish the upcoming campaign with the fewest wins in the league. 

In short, Berry's latest squad restructuring is far from a finished process. 

"Like Garrett," Grossi added, "Ward’s career timeline simply does not fit with the timeline of Berry’s rebuild. In other words, when the Browns are good again, Ward will be a descending player over the age of 30. ...Under the right circumstances, Ward could be traded at the 2026 NFL trade deadline on Nov. 13. If not then, he could be swapped in March to help Berry maneuver for the upcoming quarterback-rich 2027 draft."

NFL executives agree about future of Denzel Ward

Meanwhile, reporter Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US shared that "plenty of personnel executives around the NFL anticipate Ward will also be gone by the middle of the season," largely because "the Browns are not ready to contend."

According to La Canfora, one unnamed general manager thinks that "a contending team that acquires [Ward from the Browns] could sweeten the pot with some incentives as well to help facilitate the transition." 

As much as Cleveland allegedly is not "tanking" the 2026 season with the 2027 draft in mind, the fact remains that numerous in-the-know individuals seem to believe the Browns are once again responsible for the worst overall roster in the AFC North. 

Thus, Berry realistically could determine at any point between now and the trade deadline that getting even one draft asset in return for Ward's services is the best business decision regarding the Browns' future.