BEREA — Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward has changed his tune about tackling.

After former Browns interim coach and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams publicly and privately ripped Ward last year for failing to adequately protect himself while tackling, Ward said he felt as if his technique was good. Williams wanted Ward to take out the legs of bigger opponents, but Ward didn't shy away from hitting them high.

However, Ward admitted Wednesday the second concussion he suffered in a span of three weeks late last season as a rookie opened his eyes a little bit.

"The first concussion I got really wasn’t on a tackle," Ward, the fourth overall pick in last year's draft, said after the fifth practice of organized team activities. "I kind of got my head in there on two guys coming across from me. Once you get your first concussion, you’re susceptible to another one. It was kind of a short period of time. I ended up getting another concussion going up against a tight end on the sideline. I just have got to be smart about the tackling."

C.J. Uzomah of the Cincinnati Bengals is the tight end who Ward hit high Dec. 23 in the Browns' 26-18 win. Ward also suffered a concussion Dec. 2 in a 29-13 loss to the Houston Texans. He missed two games after the first concussion and sat out the Dec. 30 season finale after the one against the Bengals.

Williams first criticized Ward's tackling after the Nordonia High School and Ohio State product injured his back while wrapping up Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz in a preseason game.

"I got my head in there a few times on plays that I shouldn’t," Ward said. "I think I was just trying to be too physical at times and go up against guys that were 260 [pounds]. So I just got to get lower and just tackle a lot smarter if I could."

Ward insisted he's "100 percent" healthy now and he's not worrying about the potential long-term effects of the concussions.

"I’m a football player," he said. "I like to be physical and play hard. I have to be smarter on plays when I’m going up against a player and making a tackle. I have to be more conscious of how I tackle and everything, but when I’m out there on the field, I’m playing ball. I’m giving my all."

New Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks viewed Ward's tackling in 2018 like Williams did.

"Denzel last year had a situation where he'd come in and throw his body around a little bit, which resulted in some concussions," Wilks said before Wednesday's practice. "So we've really got to teach these guys how to tackle.

"I think it's definitely correctable. I think it's more teaching the proper technique, and that's where we are right now in this phase of OTAs. It's really giving him the fundamentals of how to tackle in certain situations, where the ball carrier is, and I also think it's important to understand where your help is coming from, too."

General Manager John Dorsey is confident durability issues won't dog Ward throughout his career.

"You can’t brush aside concussions, not in today’s football. There is no way that you can do that," Dorsey said April 26. "I'm sure knowing Denzel and the type of person he is that he has done everything in his power to make sure that he will be out on that field for all 16 games."

New tandem

If Dorsey's vision comes to fruition, cornerback Greedy Williams will become a fixture in the lineup opposite Ward. Dorsey traded up three spots last month to draft Williams in the second round (46th overall) out of Louisiana State University.

Ward revealed Williams reached out to him on social media in the buildup to the draft and they began training together. Then Ward called Williams the night the Browns picked him to welcome him to the team and discussed forming a tough tandem worthy of comparison to Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.

"I've heard of them. I met them as well," Ward said of the legendary Browns cornerbacks. "That's definitely something that I envision with me and Greedy — or whatever corner they put on the other side — but just being a tandem and being two guys that can lock down players on our sides of the field."

Ward said the plan and goal of the secondary is to be the best in the NFL, and superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ought to give the defensive backs an adequate trial run this summer in training camp.

"I definitely look forward to going against Odell specifically and seeing what he brings to the table," Ward said, "and I feel he's going to get me ready for the games."

Different style

Ward plans to use the experience to test himself in zone coverage, which Wilks employs more than Williams did. Ward even criticized Williams for not using enough zone last season.

"That's what I like a lot about this coaching staff. I feel that it is a balance so far," Ward said. "I feel last year we kind of got caught up in running a lot of the same things, a lot of man to man maybe on some possessions where it was kind of overdoing it. But I feel this year has been a little bit balanced in being able to play man and zone. I like to play zone as well, get vision on the football and make plays as well."

Off field

Ward is scheduled to host a free youth football camp for children in second through eighth grade from 6-10 p.m. June 7 at Nordonia High School. Registration is required at MTKYN.org, the website of Ward's new "Make Them Know Your Name" foundation, which is designed to raise awareness about heart health and honor Ward's late father, Paul, who died of cardiac arrest three years ago at age 46.

"It's definitely a dream come true," Ward said of hosting the football camp. "Coming to the NFL, I want to do things off the field as well, and being from Cleveland, it's a great opportunity to give back to my community.

"That's why I wanted it to be free, too, because it's in my community. I wanted everybody to come out."

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his Browns coverage at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ByNateUlrich and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.