The Cleveland Browns have largely rode their dominant defense to a playoff appearance this season, but they may end up without one of their top defensive players in their Wild Card Round matchup against the Houston Texans this Saturday.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters that cornerback Denzel Ward injured his knee during Thursday’s practice and will be questionable this weekend, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.

Ward had previously been nursing a shoulder issue, but this new injury seems more serious.

This is obviously a major blow for Cleveland, as Ward just earned a Pro Bowl selection after registering 34 tackles, a couple of interceptions, a forced fumble and 11 passes defended in 13 games this season.

Ward, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by the Browns with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He hit the ground running during his rookie campaign, making a trip to the Pro Bowl after finishing with 53 tackles, three picks, a forced fumble, a pair of fumble recoveries and 11 passes defended.

Since then, Ward has been one of the better cornerbacks in football. He made his second Pro Bowl appearance in 2021, posting 43 tackles, three interceptions, 10 passes defended and a defensive touchdown.

Nagging injuries have always been an issue for Ward, as the 26-year-old has never played a full season. He topped out at 15 games in 2021.

The Browns went 11-6 this year and notched the first Wild Card spot in the AFC. This is just the franchise’s second playoff appearance since 2002.

Cleveland just beat the Texans in Houston several weeks ago, hammering them by a score of 36-22 on Christmas Eve.

We’ll see if the Browns are forced to take on the Texans without one of their top defensive players in Ward on Saturday.

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