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'I'm a football player': Browns Pro Bowler Denzel Ward won't let 5th concussion deter him
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- 'I'm a football player': Browns Pro Bowler Denzel Ward won't let 5th concussion deter him
BEREA — Denzel Ward was rewarded Thursday with something he had never officially received. At least. it was something the cornerback had never received either during his college or NFL career.
Ward was voted as one of the Browns ' five captains for the upcoming season. He'll be joined by four others: Guard Joel Bitonio , defensive end Myles Garrett , long snapper Charley Hughlett and quarterback Deshaun Watson .
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"I feel very proud to be the captain of the team," Ward said. "I always felt like I was a captain, though. I always tell those guys, you don't need a 'C' on your chest to lead, so regardless if you get the logo on there saying captain or not, I was going to be myself and still try to help this team win games and be a captain out there."
Thursday marked something else for Ward. It was also the first day he was cleared of the concussion protocol since Aug. 12.
Ward, the Nordonia High School and Ohio State product, sustained his fifth concussion during practice that day. While the number of concussions in his career has led many to question whether or not it's advisable to continue to play, the three-time Pro Bowler scoffed at the notion of retirement due to the concerns.
Nov 19, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) loses his helmet tackling Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris (22) during the second half at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
"I know people worry about the number and everything, but can't let that affect me," Ward said. "I still come out here, I'm looking forward again. I'm glad to be back and playing and, yeah, I can't let the receivers off that easy in this league. So looking forward again to getting out there and giving them a hard time."
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The play which led Ward to sustain the concussion came at the end of practice. He was guarding teammate Elijah Moore during 11 on 11 drills when Moore caught a pass in front of him.
As the two fell, the back of Ward's head hit the turf. He got up slowly after that, and remained on one knee for some time.
"I mean I was good, it was that day that I kind of had a headache and everything, but I was pretty much good after that," Ward said. "But it was just about going through the protocol and I mean there was no rush back. We weren't playing regular season games, so I mean I was just really giving it time to heal. There wasn't any rush."
The concussion was Ward's first documented one in almost exactly a year. He sustained one last Aug. 26 during the team's preseason finale at the Kansas City Chiefs that kept him in the protocol for almost two weeks.
Jan 13, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) before a 2024 AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to that, Ward had a concussion during the 2022 season. The other two came while he was a rookie in 2018, within a few weeks of each other in December.
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"I'm not going to give a whole seminar on concussions up here, but no, it's not necessarily more severe," Ward said. "Each concussion, just what I learned, each concussion is its own specific concussion and you got to give that time to heal and then once that's healed and ready to go, once you get back out here, you're good. So it's not like concussions are building on top of each other, if you give it time to heal. But I think before, what guys were getting in trouble with a long time ago, is they'd get a concussion, not fully heal, then they'd go right back out there and play."
Ward was wearing a Guardian Cap over his helmet as mandated by the league at the time of the concussion. While he said he didn't plan on wearing one during games. which the league is permitting this season, he did acknowledge he was in the process of changing helmets to one the NFL has deemed even safer than the one he was wearing.
Beyond that, Ward said he's made a point of speaking with concussion specialists, including one in Pittsburgh . His mother, Nicole, and brother P.J. joined him on one visit.
"They were with me and just easing their mind," Ward said. "That's the biggest thing, easing their mind. They were worried and everything, but they'll be OK."
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The one who ultimately has to be OK with everything is Ward. It's his body and his career that's being put on the line every time he goes out for even practice.
Ward said he's found a way to block out those concerns while maintaining his physical style of play. He said it wasn't as difficult a process as it sounds.
"I'm a football player, that's what I love doing since I was a little kid, so that's the only thing I wanted to do," Ward said. "I'm playing my dream. So when I get out here, I don't think about, oh, I might get hurt or I might get a concussion. I just go out there and the main focus is winning and having fun out here, and so it's not too hard for me to put it behind me. Stuff happening in life, stuff happening in the game that may not go our way, but just about responding and coming out here and having fun."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Denzel Ward won't let 5th known concussion deter his Browns career
