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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Cleveland Browns paid their shutdown cornerback Denzel Ward on Tuesday, giving the five-time Pro Bowler a massive two-year, $62.2 million deal, including $52.3 million guaranteed.
His $31.1 million average salary makes him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL, the second time in his eight-year career he's held that distinction.
Ward is 29 years old and remains one of the best corners in football, and now he'll remain with the Browns through the 2029 season.
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But Cleveland didn't stop there. On Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that veteran safety Grant Delpit has also inked a new deal, agreeing to a three-year, $48 million extension, including $35 million guaranteed. His $16 million average annual salary makes him the ninth-highest-paid safety in the league.
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The Browns selected Delpit in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU, where he was named a consensus All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award as a junior while helping lead the Tigers to a national championship. He has since carried that success over to the NFL level.
Across his first five seasons in Cleveland, Delpit has established himself as one of the best safeties in the league, including a 2022 season in which he racked up 105 combined tackles along with 10 pass breakups, four tackles for loss, and four interceptions.
Last season, he appeared in all 17 games and finished with 89 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, three sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception. He's one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the league and a dependable piece of the Browns' secondary.
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The Browns defense has undergone a lot of change over the past few months. Two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett got traded to the Rams, linebacker Devin Bush signed with the Bears, and the team brought in two-time Pro Bowler Jared Verse to help fill the void.
Keeping two mainstays like Delpit and Ward ensures Cleveland has a strong foundation in the secondary for years to come.
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