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Cleveland Browns confirm CB Denzel Ward has agreed to terms on rookie contract

The Cleveland Browns have confirmed rookie cornerback Denzel Ward has agreed to terms on a contract.

BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns will open training camp with all nine of their selections from the 2018 NFL Draft in the fold.

In their pre-training camp address to the media at team headquarters Wednesday, Browns general manager John Dorsey confirmed the team had reached an agreement with rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, whom they selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft after a standout junior year at The Ohio State University.

“The 2018 Draft class is now officially done,” Dorsey said. “We’ve come to an agreement with Denzel Ward and his representatives. That’ll be executed here pretty soon. That’ll be moving forward, and that’s exciting too because those guys want to be here and they want to compete.”

Browns coach Hue Jackson added, “It’s an exciting time for our football team. Anytime you get ready to head into training camp with all of your draft class signed and ready to go, it’s exciting. We have a lot of work to do, a ton of work to do, and I think we all get that. I think the players are very eager to get going.”

Over 26 career games in three seasons with the Buckeyes, Ward registered 47 solo tackles, 20 assists, two stops for lost yardage, two interceptions and 24 passes defended.

Playing behind first-round picks Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore in each of his first two years in Columbus, Ward blossomed into a No. 1 cornerback for the Buckeyes ahead of the 2017 season, and by the end of the year, was a consensus All-American in the secondary.

Ward finished his final season at Ohio State with 30 solo stops, seven assists, two tackles for lost yardage, two interceptions and 15 passes defended.

Credit: Matt Florjancic
Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward runs toward the ball during a drill in Organized Team Activities in Berea.

Although Ward is a rookie, he quickly moved up the depth chart and spent part of the mandatory minicamp at the end of the offseason program running with the No. 1 defense.

“Ward being out there is because he is earning it,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said after the offseason program was complete. “He is working at it. He is doing good things. He plays a position that we think we have been needing a guy to step up. We see things of him improving each and every day and doing the things that we are asking.

“He needs to continue to do that to continue to be out there, but we know that he is very talented. That is why we drafted him. He has displayed that since he has been here.”

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