Young Cleveland Browns fans grill Denzel Ward about Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield

Denzel Ward wearing a walking boot didn't cause some of the youth football campers who questioned the Browns two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Thursday afternoon to pull any punches.

They showed about as much mercy as Ward did Nov. 7 when he intercepted a pass from Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown en route to a 41-16 win, the pinnacle of a disappointing 8-9 Browns season.

A foot injury suffered June 16 on the final day of Browns mandatory minicamp left Ward in a protective boot and unable to work with kids on the field during a Nike Football Skills Camp at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

Ward described the injury as a sore left foot when someone at the camp asked him about it in passing.

Will he be OK for Browns training camp?

“Yeah, I'll be good,” Ward told the Beacon Journal later while he got into his car after his appearance in Akron.

Will he be good to go for the start of camp on July 27?

“We'll see,” said Ward, a Nordonia High School and Ohio State product who signed a five-year, $100.5 million contract extension with the Browns in April.

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Ward has been organizing a bonding trip for Browns defensive backs, akin to the getaways quarterback Deshaun Watson spearheaded for the offense in the Bahamas and defensive end Myles Garrett for the defensive linemen and linebackers in Miami.

“I am planning something,” Ward said. “I am setting something up. I'm not sure the time frame yet, but it's going to happen.

“[It could be] during the season or it could be before training camp depending on if we get all the guys back.”

In the midst of a discussion about those vacation arrangements, NextGen Camps owner Jacob Byrd and Ward said they wanted the Beacon Journal's questions to be about the camp and not the Browns — a request made about a minute into a brief interview.

But Ward proceeded to conduct a Browns-centric question-and-answer session with the kids in attendance under the stadium bleachers after he and former NFL and Ohio State player Braxton Miller had signed autographs and posed for photographs.

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Some of the questions from the kids were innocuous, but other campers, ages 8-18, grilled Ward about Watson's legal situation, quarterback Baker Mayfield and even the future of FirstEnergy Stadium.

“[Ward] was great with the kids, especially the kid that asked him who's your favorite quarterback,” said STVM football coach Terry Cistone, who ran on-field drills with other camp instructors, including former NFL players and Akron natives Delone Carter and Doran Grant.

“For [Ward] to come here, especially with him being injured, the kids loved it.”

Cistone said he thought 88 kids attended the first of the camp's three days, and a good number of them asked Ward questions.

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Hey, Denzel Ward. Who do you like better — Deshaun Watson or Baker Mayfield?

Here is a sampling of the 13-minute exchange between the campers and Ward:

Camper: Do you guys talk about the Watson case during practice?

Ward: “No, we don't really talk about it. We don't really talk about it. That's being handled in the courts, so we don't talk about it. We just go out there and practice.”

Camper: What are your thoughts on the “At Home With Baker Mayfield” commercials?

Ward: “I think they should add me to those commercials.”

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Camper: What were your thoughts when you broke Burrow's ankles last season during your long interception return?

Ward: “I didn't see that I broke his ankles until afterward. I got to watch it back. It was funny. I [will] be talking to him during the game, so that's definitely one of the things I'm gonna bring up next time we play Cincinnati.”

Camper: Who's your favorite quarterback?

Ward: “I don't really like many offensive guys. Let's see, favorite quarterback — that's a good question. Favorite quarterback? I don't know. I don't know who I'll say. Who's yours? Who's your favorite quarterback? Baker? OK. Where do you think he's going to go [in a trade]?”

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Camper: Which one do you like more — Watson or Mayfield?

Ward: “Who do I like more? I've got to get to know Deshaun some more. This is his first year on the team, so I haven't got to meet him as much, but I'm definitely looking forward to [it].”

Camper: So far, who do you like more?

Ward: “I don't have an answer on who I like more. I've got to get with [Watson] a little more.”

Camper: How do you feel about former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retiring?

Ward: “I don't know. I don't really have much thoughts on it. I mean, it was nice going against him. That's a Hall of Fame quarterback, but I'm looking forward to going against that next guy.”

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Camper: Are you scared about having a new quarterback?

Ward: “Scared if I'll have a new quarterback? No, I'm not really scared. I mean, I've got to take care of my job first. I feel whoever's lined up there at quarterback, they're going to do their job.”

Camper: Who's your least favorite player on the Steelers?

Ward: “All the receivers. I don't like receivers.”

Camper: What was your worst injury?

Ward: “Worst injury? Let's see, I had a concussion my rookie year. So definitely don't want to get those.”

Camper: I heard the stadium might need a roof on it. Do you think that's going to happen?

Ward: “It could happen. I'm not sure when. But, yeah, definitely I did see [the reports]. It could potentially happen.”

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Denzel Ward says 'I'll be good' for Browns training camp