Browns' Denzel Ward Reportedly Avoids 'Serious' Shoulder Injury, Expected to Be Fine

A key member of the Cleveland Browns' defense reportedly avoided a major shoulder injury on Tuesday.

Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, cornerback Denzel Ward "is not believed to have suffered anything serious" after leaving Tuesday's practice. Schultz noted that Ward will still undergo further tests.

Ward, the fourth overall pick out of Ohio State in 2018, is coming off his best season in the NFL, recording 49 tackles, two interceptions and a league-best 19 passes defended. He earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod last year.

In a recent survey of coaches, scouts and executives across the NFL conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Ward was voted as the third-best cornerback in the league behind the Denver Broncos' Pat Surtain II and the Houston Texans' Derek Stingley Jr.

A serious injury would have been a devastating blow to a secondary already dealing with a lack of depth heading into the season.

Backup cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in July, leaving the Browns without a player responsible for 62 tackles and five passes defended a season ago.

With Emerson out for the year, there will be plenty of pressure on Ward and his fellow cornerback, Greg Newsome, to perform. Newsome, a first-round pick out of Northwestern in 2021, missed four games a year ago, finishing the season with 27 tackles, an interception and five pass breakups.

Newsome is currently listed alongside Ward as a starting cornerback on the Browns' depth chart. Cameron Mitchell and Myles Harden are listed as their respective backups.