Denzel Ward provides glimmer of hope for Browns fans in wake of Myles Garrett trade

The Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL world, as well as their own fan base, this week when they traded superstar edge-rusher and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams.

It brought back a massive haul in return, including young star Jared Verse and multiple draft picks. There is a chance the Browns could use all of that to rebuild their franchise into something competitive. 

But it's also a tough pill for fans to swallow, and it would have been understandable if returning players were put off by it.

The one piece of good news here for Browns fans: star cornerback Denzel Ward, who now gets to take over leadership of the defense as its best player, committed to the Browns and emphasized how much he wants to remain with the team.

Denzel Ward wants to stay in Cleveland even after Myles Garrett trade

Ward spoke following a celebrity softball game in Ohio on Saturday.

"I definitely still want to be here," Ward said Saturday at his inaugural celebrity softball game, via ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. "Myles is a good friend of mine, a great teammate, but things aren't lost. It's Ohio against the world. So people could doubt us, but we're going out there still trying to play our best ball and bring wins to the city."

This should be taken as at least some sort of a positive for Browns fans, because it wouldn't have been a total shock if other players on the defense did not want to stick around through what will almost certainly be another rebuild. 

But Ward, 29, putting that to bed is a strong testament to his leadership and the role he wants to play in Cleveland.

While the Garrett trade takes a superstar out of the Cleveland defense, there is still serious talent on that side of the ball.

Verse is a Pro Bowl edge-rusher coming over in the trade, Ward is one of the best cover corners in the league and the Browns' 2025 rookie draft class featured rising stars Mason Graham (defensive line) and Carson Schwesinger (linebacker, and the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year).

The absence of Garrett takes away a game-changing player, but it's still a talented defense. The added draft pick capital for the future also gives the Browns options to potentially move up in the 2027 NFL Draft and potentially fix their quarterback situation.

They are worse in the short term and could be better in the long term, and at least know they have a leader who is committed to making things better in Ward.