Denzel Ward puts a personal touch on helping Clevelanders

Browns CB Denzel Ward puts a personal touch on helping Clevelanders who are struggling with the financial burden of COVID-19

Browns cornerback Denzel Ward has earned many fans for his Pro Bowl exploits on the field in Cleveland. But he’s also earning them for what he continues to give of himself off the field for those less fortunate.

Through Ward’s Make Them Know Your Name foundation, the Cleveland-area native covered a major monthly expense for 21 local residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. But Ward wasn’t just a guy signing checks trying to look good.

Ward personally called the recipients to put on a personal touch. He let them know he truly cared and appreciated the folks and what they are going through.

Way to go, Denzel!

Watch: Browns players react as they get their new gear for the 1st time

Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Jarvis Landry and many more Browns love their new uniforms

The reception to the new Cleveland Browns uniforms has been a big hit with fans and most of the national media. But what about the Browns players, the guys who actually get to wear it for their jobs?

Based on the video from the Browns, the players really like and appreciate the classic look after the subtle but needed changes to the recent uniforms. The Browns captured several Browns players unboxing their new uniform jerseys and their reactions.

Joel Bitonio, Denzel Ward, Odell Beckham Jr., Baker Mayfield and more all show quite a bit of excitement as they get their hands on the fresh new gear for the first time.

More than 1,000 applicants take Denzel Ward up on offer to assist during COVID-19 health crisis

Former Ohio State and current Cleveland Brown DB Denzel Ward and his MTKYN Foundation received over 1,000 applicants for COVID-19 aid.

Former Ohio State defensive back Denzel Ward has been doing his best to assist others during the COVID-19 health crisis. Just last week, he announced an initiative through his Make Them Know Your Name Foundation to help pay the largest monthly expense of 21 individuals from the Cleveland area who have been impacted financially by the current pandemic.

It was apparently a big hit. According to a piece by USA TODAY, Ward’s foundation received over 1,000 applications for assistance through the first couple of days of communicating the outreach.

“It’s humbling,” Ward told USA TODAY. “We’ll try to help as many people as we can.”

Ward said that he wanted to make the charitable work “more personal” than just giving money to a cause. He and his MTNYN Foundation settled on 21 people because that’s his jersey number.

“This pandemic has touched me a lot, seeing people affected by this,” Ward said. “It was so unexpected. It caught people by surprise. That’s why I wanted to take a load off their back.”

Good on you Ward. It’s stories like these that remind you how personal and human people can be in tough times like the ones we are living in today.

Former Ohio State DB Denzel Ward is looking to pay it forward to 21 people impacted by COVID-19

Former Ohio State DB Denzel Ward is looking to help 21 individuals impacted financially by the COVID-19 health crisis. You can sign up.

If you, your family, or a friend you know have been affected by the COVID-19 health crisis, there’s help. The government is beginning to implement a monumental stimulus package that will send money to all Americans and provide help for small businesses that have been impacted by the virtual shutdown of the world.

But help might be coming from an unlikely source as well. Former Ohio State defensive back Denzel Ward is the latest in a growing list of kind gestures to those that have been hit hard by the novel Coronavirus. It has turned the world upside down and put many in a financial crunch.

He’s looking to help 21 individuals that need assistance by paying for each person’s biggest monthly expense.

But it’s not just anyone. You have to go to the appropriate website, tell your story, and hope to get selected. If you believe you are one that can benefit, head on over and share how you’ve been impacted.

Good on you Ward. These are absolutely the things we need at this time.

Denzel Ward will cover biggest expense for 21 Clevelanders impacted by coronavirus pandemic

Denzel Ward will cover the biggest expense for a month for 21 Clevelanders impacted by coronavirus pandemic

Browns cornerback Denzel Ward wears No. 21 for Cleveland. Now he’s making that number have even more significance.

Ward has pledged to cover the biggest monthly expense for 21 separate Clevelanders who have been hit hard and lost their livelihoods due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Northeast Ohio (Nordonia) native announced his intentions via his “Make Them Know Your Name” foundation.

He specifically cited small business owners and service workers to apply, which can be done via the Make Them Know Your Name website.

“Whether that’s rent or mortgage, or just groceries for your family, I want someone to breathe a little easier knowing that’s taken care of this month,” Ward said in a video posted to the foundation’s Twitter feed.

It’s the latest gesture of compassion and generosity from Browns players giving back to Cleveland during the pandemic. Baker Mayfield, Myles Garrett, Jarvis Landry, Larry Ogunjobi and others have all donated to help out locals impacted by the social quarantining and forced closure of businesses.

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WATCH: Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill vs. Browns CB Denzel Ward in ‘Madden’ tournament semifinal

Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill advanced to the semifinals after defeating teammate Tyrann Mathieu.

[protected-iframe id=”e5b1434517e449546662b00c3c376c2e-105974720-107785976″ info=”https://player.twitch.tv/?channel=eamaddennfl” width=”620″ height=”378″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no”]Watch live video from EAMaddenNFL on www.twitch.tv

Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill advanced to the semifinals in The Checkdown’s “Madden NFL 20” tournament. During the first round, he defeated his Chiefs teammate Tyrann Mathieu by a score of 62-32. Hill played as the Bears, while Mathieu grabbed the Chiefs.

Hill will face Cleveland Browns CB Denzel Ward in the second round at 5 p.m. CT. Philadelphia Eagles WR DeSean Jackson will face Los Angeles Chargers DB Derwin James in the other match, which will determine the final matchup.

If yesterday was any indication, Ward better play his best game against Hill, otherwise, he won’t stand a chance. On both defense and offense, Hill proved to be deadly, holding as big as a 35-point lead against Mathieu.

(Note: Electronic Arts initially reversed the graphics on the stream, as Hill actually played as the Bears and Mathieu the Chiefs.)

The single-elimination tournament benefits the United Way’s COVID-19 relief efforts, so be sure to show your support for Hill this evening. Tune in at the top of the page to see if Hill advances to the final.

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Browns CB Denzel Ward finished in top 5 of lowest completion percentage allowed

Ward is the only player to finish in the top five in each of the last two seasons in lowest completion percentage allowed

Denzel Ward was really good as a rookie, earning a Pro Bowl berth at cornerback in his debut season for the Browns. While Ward didn’t make the Pro Bowl in 2019, he was even better in coverage in his second season than he was in his heralded rookie campaign.

Ward allowed the fifth-lowest completion percentage among qualifying cornerbacks in 2019. Per NFL Inside Edge, just 36 of the 73 passes thrown Ward’s way were completed. Only four DBs bested his 49.3 percent allowed:

Ward also finished fifth in the league as a rookie, but he couldn’t quite crack the 50 percent mark in 2018. The No. 4 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft is the only player to finish in the top five in each of the last two seasons.

Ward faced 20 fewer targets in his second season in 93 fewer snaps. If he continues his torrid lockdown pace, expect those targets to dip even more in 2020.