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Since the Cleveland Browns drafted Denzel Ward No. 4 overall out of Ohio State in the 2018 NFL Draft, he has been a consistent player and one of the best at his position in the NFL.
If there has been one specific issue for Ward throughout his career, it is the number of concussions he has endured . Near the end of training camp, Ward took on his fifth concussion of note and it raised some eyebrows. Five concussions are a lot for any NFL career, let alone one that is only six seasons of games in.
Now back and healthy gearing up for the Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Ward has issued a bit of a calming message to those worried about his injury history.
“I know people worry about the number and everything, but can’t let that affect me. I still come out here, I’m looking forward again. I’m glad to be back and playing and, I can’t let the receivers off that easy in this league,” Ward explained jokingly. “So [I’m] looking forward again to getting out there and giving them a hard time.”
Ward has three Pro Bowl nods in his six previous seasons and is once again set up for another successful season in 2024. The lockdown corner is one of the most important parts to the success of what should be a really good defense once again under Jim Schwartz.
“I feel great. I feel great. I’m glad to be back with the team. Like I said, I’ve done a lot of research and met with concussion specialists and they gave me the knowledge that I feel that I needed and everything, and I’m not too concerned about it.”
Any worries about Ward hanging it up should go over the wayside because he sounds a lot like a guy who is committed to continuing his career. Ward and the Browns have played the pro rock fateful each time and there is never any rushing him back.
“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. I’m playing my dream,” Ward explained. “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. So, it’s not too hard for me to put it behind me. Stuff happens in life, stuff happens in the game that may not go our way, but it’s just about responding and coming out here and having fun.”
Having concerns about Ward’s concussion history is fair but considering he feels good about it, everyone else should too.
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