5 surprise standouts Philadelphia Eagles need to develop for 2020
By Erin Grugan
player. 54. . . . Greg Ward, wide receiver. 84
It’s been said before. It’ll be said again here. To put things simply, the Eagles’ wide receiver corps was dreadful if not nearly non-existent this season. That fact, however, is what gave Greg Ward his chance to see some real game action.
To understand why Ward was overlooked before the start of this season, it’s important to know his story. Just a few years ago, Ward was the starting quarterback for the University of Houston, graduating as an undrafted free agent in 2017 before signing with the Eagles’ practice squad. That September, he was released from the practice squad and re-signed all within eight days’ time, and he’d remain on the Eagles’ scout team through Philly’s Super Bowl run.
In September of 2018, Ward was once again released by the practice squad, but, this time, it would end up being a good thing. Ward put up impressive numbers as a wide receiver in the short-lived Alliance of American Football, helping him retake a spot on the Eagles’ practice squad in 2019 when the AAF ceased operations.
By the time November of 2019 rolled around, Philly was in desperate need of help at the wide receiver position. Enter a very familiar face, in Greg Ward.
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In the last six games of the regular season, Ward used his time on the active roster to rack up 254 receiving yards on 28 catches (9.1 yards per reception), producing 18 first downs and his first NFL touchdown. That touchdown, by the way, was the four-yard game-winner to defeat the Washington Redskins 37-27 on December 15 and went a long way in ultimately helping the Eagles win the division.
Six games are a small sample size, sure, but to come in and surprise everyone with some clutch play when the team was in dire need of some should earn Ward serious consideration for a chance to earn a role in the slot position next season.