Browns cornerback Denzel Ward will question if he wants to stay in Cleveland if defensive end Myles Garrett is traded.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett — the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year — shocked the NFL world on Monday when he requested to be traded . That has caused a domino effect as another one of their star defenders is now questioning his future with the team.
Browns four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward hinted if Garrett goes, he may want to leave as well.
"(Garrett's request) has a huge impact, honestly," Ward told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. "I want to play with Myles Garrett. He's a Hall of Fame player. I came in the league, he was on the team and that's my guy. So I've been talking to him and I know he said he wants out, but you've just got to hear where he's coming from. He wants to win, so we'll see what the near future holds."
The Browns have made it very clear that they have no intentions of trading Garrett. General manager Andrew Berry recently said he envisions Garrett retiring a Brown.
"My expectation is that he'll have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton at the end of this year," Berry said . "And I expect him to be here and retire a Brown, quite frankly."
However, if Garrett is willing to make things ugly, it may be enough to make the Browns go back on their word.
Ward isn't going to try to talk Garrett out of his trade request, but he hopes that isn't how thing play out.
"Me and Myles, I feel like we're a tandem," Ward said. "I've used the term before. I feel like me and Myles are like Shaq and Kobe, and like I said, I feel like we're the most dominant players on the team, and that's why I want to continue to play with Myles."
Ward signed a record extension with the Browns in 2022 and he's been worth every cent. Since being drafted as No. 4 overall pick in 2018, the 27-year-old has recorded 322 tackles (264 solo), 0.5 sack, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, 17 interceptions, 95 passes defensed and two touchdowns.
Losing the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year would already be a big blow to the Browns roster. If they were to also lose one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Ward, it would further push back their aspirations of being competitive once again.
Ward remains hopeful the two sides can mend their strained relationship.
"I want to be in Cleveland," Ward said. "I want to win. I'm definitely keeping an eye on what Myles has going on and what's he doing. I'm just interested in seeing how everything plays out. Like I said, I want to play with Myles Garrett, and we've just got to wait and see."
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