Philadelphia Eagles: Re-signing Greg Ward makes a ton of sense
After a successful showing with the San Antonio Commanders in the AAF, Greg Ward is back with the Philadelphia Eagles with a legit shot to make the team.
For as much as football is about X’s and O’s, it’s also about people, and every year fans, writers, and talent evaluators alike get soft spots for specific players both star and fringe: one of those players for me has been Greg Ward Jr.
When the Philadelphia Eagles signed the 5-foot-10 Houston quarterback as a developmental prospect attempting to transition to NFL wide receiver after going draft in 2016, it seemed like a long shot that he’d ever make the roster.
Sure, history is littered with college QB turned NFL wide receivers, like Brad Smith, Terrelle Pryor, and most successfully Julian Edelman, but to go from playing quarterback at an American Athletic Conference school like Houston, to playing wide receiver in the NFL without particularly impressive measurables (5-foot-10, 182 pounds with a 4.58 40), it seemed a bit far-fetched.
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And yet Ward consistently found ways to prove me wrong.
Mostly playing on the third team, Ward showed flashes of potential as a do-it-all slot man when given a chance both in camp and during the preseason, hauling in 13 passes over 92 yards in two summers with the club.
Is it ever enough to earn a roster spot? No, despite having players like DeAndre Carter (we miss you) Kamar Aiken, and Markus Wheaton featured on the Eagles’ 53-man roster at points during last season, they never seemed willing or confident enough to give Ward a shot, releasing him from the practice squad on September 7th, 2018.
However, just like so many other young players facing the mortality of their football career, Ward found a second life in the now-defunct American Alliance of Football and ran with the opportunity that the Eagles were never going to give him: playing time in a regular season game.
Playing wide receiver for the San Antonio Commanders, Ward caught 22 passes for 214 yards, the second-best total on the team.
And now, Ward gets another chance to latch on with the green and white, as he has officially signed a contract to return to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now granted, should he be considered a favorite to land a roster spot for the 2019 season? Probably not, as the team’s top-3 wide receivers are pretty much set in stone heading into the NFL draft and it’s entirely possible that he could be competing with the likes of Shelton Gibson, Mack Hollins and any other bottom of the roster players for one of the team’s five or so receiver spots heading into the season.
For a player like Ward, that opportunity is what he’s been fighting for.
And if he actually does make the roster, Ward offers a pretty unique set of skills that could be incredibly tantalizing for a creative team like the Eagles.
While he may not be a special teams ace like Hollins, or present return-ability like Gibson, Ward’s time playing quarterback in a dynamic spread offense could provide a plethora of new wrinkles to Doug Pederson‘s offense.
Could Ward replace Trey Burton as the team’s new ‘Philly Special’ quarterback? What about Pederson’s signature play; the RPO? Could we eventually see a day where both Carson Wentz and Ward could line up in the backfield together and create a nearly unstoppable triple-play dual-quarterback assault?
I don’t see why not.
Furthermore, keeping Ward on the active roster could also help when dealing with athletic dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray, and even Baker Mayfield, who are much harder to scheme for due to their diminutive size and eagerness to put the ball on the ground and run it.
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With the Seattle Seahawks on the schedule in 2019 and Murry’s landing spot still up in the air, it’s conceivable that keeping a player like Greg Ward around could not only give the Philadelphia Eagles an additional offensive weapon, but also help to secure at least another win this season; which could be the difference between a playoff berth or an early exit.