The Browns may have their eyes on a quarterback reset, but the more immediate headache sits on the other side of the ball. Cleveland’s cornerback room has enough at the top to get by, yet the depth behind Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell looks thin enough to become a real problem if the season goes sideways.
Ward is the name that keeps pulling the conversation back to next offseason. He’s earned an extension, and the Browns have an out in his contract after this season.
If he’s still on the roster after that, he’d be an unrestricted free agent after the 2027 season. There’s also no guaranteed money left on the deal after Andrew Berry has reworked it multiple times.
A trade would be on the table if Berry decided to go that route, especially if Cleveland stumbles early and contenders start calling before the deadline. Ward remains one of the top corners in the league, and teams are always hunting for help in the secondary. Still, the question is whether a second round pick would be enough to make moving him worthwhile.
Ward, who played high school football at Nordonia and college football at Ohio State, has said he wants to stay in Cleveland. If the Browns lock him up, that would be a sign the rebuild is nearing the finish line.
Campbell is already squared away after signing a new deal with the Jaguars before the cornerback swap that sent Greg Newsome II to Jacksonville. He’s set, but Cleveland probably doesn’t want him carrying the load as the clear No. 1 corner.
The rest of the group is where things get shaky. Myles Harden and Myles Bryant are battling for the nickel role, while Damarri Mathis and undrafted free agent Michael Coats Jr. could be the other corners who stick on the roster.
That’s why Saturdays are about to matter for Browns fans, too. The upcoming quarterback class is being billed as the real thing, and Cleveland will be watching closely. But the same goes for the cornerback crop and the top free-agent options that could be available next year.
For now, the Browns have two reliable starters at corner, and that’s enough to serve as a temporary fix for Todd Monken’s first year coaching the team. The bigger answer may not come until next offseason, when that needy position group could finally get solved.
In Other News...
Browns Camp Opens With Rising Hope And Real Pressure For Familiar Names
Training camp arrives with the Browns carrying more optimism than theyve had in a while, but also with a roster that is already starting to sort itself into winners and players who need a strong August. Shedeur Sanders, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace all came out of spring with their stock pointing up, while a few familiar names are walking into camp with more to prove. For Cleveland, that means every practice rep matters, especially at quarterback, where the competition will shape the tone of the entire month.
The pressure is just as real elsewhere on the depth chart, where Cedric Tillman, Dawand Jones and Maliek Collins are all dealing with different kinds of uncertainty. Tillman has to fight for space in a crowded receiver group, Jones is trying to hold his ground along the offensive line, and Collins opens camp on the active/PUP list while still working back from the quad issue that ended his 2025 season. The Browns have options, but camp will decide which of these names stay in the conversation and which ones start slipping behind. [Read more 🡒]
These Browns Rookies Enter Camp With Almost No Margin For Error
The Browns are already getting a head start on summer camp with rookies reporting early, and this draft class arrives with more than the usual amount of pressure attached. Several newcomers are stepping into open competitions right away, from wideouts Jaxon Concepcion and Denzel Boston to center Brailsford, tight end Royer and quarterback Green, all of them trying to turn a strong first impression into a real role before the pads even come on.
For Cleveland, the appeal is obvious: these are the kinds of young players who can change the shape of the roster if they hit quickly, but camp is also where the margin for error shrinks fast. The coaching staff and front office will spend the next several weeks sorting out who can handle the jump from draft pick to contributor, and for a few of these rookies, simply keeping pace may be the first test that matters. [Read more 🡒]
Browns May Still Have One Strength After Andrew Berrys Biggest Gamble
Even after Andrew Berrys biggest swing of the offseason, the Browns still have a case to make that their defensive front can carry real weight into 2026. Losing Myles Garrett changes the ceiling of the unit, but the line is still built around young talent and a front office that has spent heavily to keep that part of the roster from falling apart. Mason Graham and Alex Wright give Cleveland a foundation to work with, and the teams ability to keep adding to that group has become one of the few clear reasons for optimism on that side of the ball.
The concern, as always, is what happens once the top names come off the field. Cleveland does not have much margin for error in the rotation, and the Browns may need a relatively untested option to hold up as the next edge presence behind the main group. The good news for Berry is that the long view is still intact, with extra draft capital in 2027 giving the Browns a chance to patch holes if this version of the defensive line proves good but not deep enough. [Read more 🡒]