Philadelphia Eagles: Arguments for and against Greg Ward thriving in 2020
Resiliency is a word that’s almost synonymous with the young Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver’s name.
Ever since his entry into pro football, Ward has had a few wrenches thrown into his personal plans, but he’s managed to work through the stumbling blocks. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Houston in 2017, the former Cougars quarterback was released almost as quickly as he was signed. He rejoined the team’s practice squad shortly thereafter only to get the pink slip and re-sign again later on that same year.
As convoluted as Ward’s rookie year was, 2018 brought more of the same. Again, he was released prior to the regular season and, again, added him to their practice squad the following day, but just like in 2017, he’d earn a pink slip on September 7th of that year.
Sensing a theme, Ward took his talents to the San Antonio Commanders of the aforementioned AAF in January of 2019. There, he caught 22 passes for 214 yards before the newest football venture folded due to a scarcity of liquidity.
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Once the AAF ceased operations, Ward moved back to the ‘City of Brotherly Love’. There’s no place like home right? Again, he’d get the boot and join the practice squad. This time, however, would be different, and as mentioned, he’d be promoted to the active roster for the first in his career (right before the Eagles’ matchup against the Detroit Lions). He only played on two offensive snaps in his debut (and was again waved after the game), but he had broken through. More success would come later.
The Eagles signed Ward to the practice squad two days after his final release from the team on September 26th. He’d again be promoted to the active roster on November 23rd, right before their Week 12 contest versus the Seattle Seahawks. He finished strong and became a nice cog in the offensive wheel as he saw at least seven targets in four of the last six games he played in.
In what looks like script The Hallmark Channel would base a movie on, Ward showed perseverance and drive. Sure, there was probably some self-doubt there, but he finally made good on an opportunity. He knows how the game should be played, and he shouldn’t feel deterred by the new blood Philadelphia has added at the position. Let’s dig a little deeper.