Philadelphia Eagles: The post-draft pressure is on for Greg Ward

With four new wide receivers set to join the team post-2020 NFL Draft, where does Greg Ward stand with the Philadelphia Eagles moving forward?

If you’re a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles – specifically the offensive side of the ball – you just have to love what Howie Roseman pulled off over 2020’s draft weekend.

Sure, maybe he didn’t pick the exact guy you liked, he bypassed running backs altogether, and selected the most expensive backup quarterback of recent memory, but after fielding one of the worst wide receivers maybe ever in the team’s playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the Eagles addressed their biggest offensive needs in a big way.

We’re talking three wide receivers – four really if you count trade addition Marquise Goodwin – and two Auburn offensive linemen to bolster their bench.

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But just because Philly fans are over the moon with their new collection of sub-4.5 running wide receivers doesn’t mean the move is beneficial for everyone. No, for some, Howie Roseman‘s commitment to finding the Eagles’ heir to DeSean Jackson is a direct challenge to their livelihood both in 2020 and beyond.

Greg Ward surely falls into that camp.

The feel-good story of the 2019 season, Ward finally made his NFL debut after three unsuccessful attempts to make the Eagles active roster from 2017-19. Had it not been for an abbreviated stint in the now-defunct AAF as a starting receiver, the college quarterback may be on LinkedIn as we speak looking to jumpstart his post-football career, as opposed to an incumbent starting slot wide receiver for a playoff team.

Does Ward look like a traditional NFL starting wide receiver? No, Ward is a slight 5-foot-11, 190 pounds who wears an admittedly massive helmet that makes him instantly recognizable on the field, but you know what they say: It’s not what you have, but how you use it.

While Ward isn’t the biggest, strongest, or fastest receiver in the league, his experience playing quarterback at a high-level gives him an advanced knowledge of reading defenses. Speed is obviously important, but players will remain steadily employed for years if they can find the soft spots in zone coverage to get open across the middle of the field.

From Julian Edelman to Randal Cobb, there is a clear lineage of quarterbacks-turned-NFL receivers who have developed into Pro Bowlers.

Ward’s ability to get open and make plays as a reliable possession receiver deployed out of the slot was all well and good in 2019, when his competition for targets were players like Robert Davis, Deontay Burnett, and Josh Perkins, but with Jackson and Alshon Jeffery still on the roster and four new receivers on the way in, one has to wonder where exactly Ward fits with the team.

Barring an unforeseen learning curve – or a decision to only play him on the outside – it’s safe to say Jalen Reagor projects as an immediate starter in the slot. Like Ward, Reagor is a capable receiver across the middle of the field, but he’s also a legit burner with NBA-level hops and an electric ability to weave through traffic with ease. Ward could conceivably serve as Reagor’s backup, but that’s assuming players like Goodwin, Quez Watkins, and John Hightower won’t also be considered in the slot from time to time.

Heck, the Eagles used two tight ends a ton in 2019, so it’s entirely possible that the team’s backup slot receiver may end up being Dallas Goedert.

Ward can’t even rely on his trick play-ability and potential to serve as an emergency quarterback anymore, as Jalen Hurts will certainly soak up any change-of-pace quarterback plays Doug Pederson wants to call.

Then again, Ward picked a great time to be an inside wide receiver, as the league’s latest trend, the Air Raid offense, relies heavily on deploying multiple options out of the slot. Based on the team’s attempt to hire USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell earlier this year, one would assume Pederson wants to incorporate at least some of the scheme’s concepts into his offense in 2020. With Jeffery, Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and (probably) Hightower more or less locked in as outside receivers, Ward’s versatility on the inside – not to mention his pre-made relationship with Carson Wentz – might give him a leg up over younger options still learning the NFL ropes.

If training camps are limited – or eliminated entirely – this summer, allowing Ward to hit the open market may just be too risky to stomach for a team that can’t afford a slow start.

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So, will Greg Ward make the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster in 2019? At this point, I’d venture to say yes, but with a ton of new competition waiting sorely over the horizon, it’s safe to say any snaps he does earn on the offensive side of the ball will be very well earned.

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