When the Browns selected Greedy Williams with the 46th pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, many fans had the same thought: future cornerback tandem.
Williams, at 6-foot-2, appeared to be the perfect complement to Denzel Ward, a 5-foot-11 corner who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2018. Turns out, Ward and Williams had already discussed the possibility before he was even picked by the Browns.
"I was real excited about the pick of Greedy," Ward said Wednesday. "Me and Greedy were actually talking before he got drafted, going through his draft process again together and training and everything, I had called him that night and just telling him it's funny how life works, and he ended up getting drafted by the Browns. We just had some talks, like I said, about being a tandem and just ready to get to work."
It's surprising that two highly regarded, young cornerbacks would be so familiar with each other when they weren't from the same region, didn't go to the same school and didn't even play in the same conference. Their relationship was instead a byproduct of Williams being proactive in his draft preparation. He reached out to Ward for tips and to potentially train together before April's draft had arrived.
Check out photos from the fifth day of OTA practices
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65), Safety Damarious Randall (23), Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) and Linebacker Christian Kirksey (58) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Mack Wilson (51) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Defensive tackle Trevon Coley (93) and Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Wide receiver Damion Ratley (18) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Wide receiver Jaelen Strong (10) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Wide receiver Rashard Higgins (81) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Offensive tackle Desmond Harrison (69) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Guard Eric Kush (72) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Stump Mitchell during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
D'Ernest Johnson and Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Running Back Kareem Hunt (27), Running Back Nick Chubb (24), Trayone Grey and D'Ernest Johnson during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Running Back Nick Chubb (24) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Tight end Stephen Carlson (89) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Tight end Demetrius Harris (88) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Wide receiver Rashard Higgins (81) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Joe Schobert (53) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (65) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Genard Avery (55) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Genard Avery (55) and Defensive end Chris Smith (50) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Punter Jamie Gillan (7) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Tight end David Njoku (85) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Tigie Sankoh (40) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Joe Schobert (53) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Linebacker Adarius Taylor (57) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Damarious Randall (23) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Sheldrick Redwine (33) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Kicker Greg Joseph (17) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Wide Receiver Ishmael Hyman (16) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Center Kyle Kalis (68) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Safety Eric Murray (22) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during the fifth practice of OTAs on May 22, 2019.
It sounds as if Ward likes what he sees and is excited to play alongside him.
"He's a physical player, he has good footwork," Ward said. "Him, like all of us, got a lot of stuff we've still got to work on. It's early in the process."
On paper, the Browns are deep in the secondary, with Ward existing as one of the group's cornerstones. Should Williams develop into a fellow shutdown corner opposite him, the two could evoke visions of Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.
"That's definitely something I envision with me and Greedy or whatever corner they put on the other side," Ward said of the mention of the two former All-Pro Browns corners. "Just being a tandem, being two guys that can lock down players on our sides of the field."
We'll see if another legendary duo can come together in Cleveland's secondary. After all, they already have the friendship part down.
