Eagles WR Greg Ward Refuses To Go Away Quietly
A major part of being successful in life is just showing up consistently, and outlasting your competition. Philadelphia Eagles receiver Greg Ward continues to show up, and that has kept him in the organization for parts of four seasons. A fifth may be on its way.
In the first half of Thursday evening's preseason matchup with the Cleveland Browns, Ward caught three passes for 29 yards, making an impact despite a subpar performance from quarterback Marcus Mariota. That followed up a strong night in Baltimore last Saturday, where Ward caught all five passes thrown his way, racking up 53 yards receiving. Neither performance is earth-shattering, but when Ward has been given an opportunity to contribute so far this preseason, he's made the best of it.
Of course, Ward made a relatively notable impact as a receiver for the Eagles in 2019 and 2020, catching 81 total passes for teams that were undermanned at the position. As the Eagles have overhauled their pass catchers and acquired the likes of DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, opportunities to get targets have dwindled. Ward had just 11 passes thrown his way in 2021, and was released last September before returning to the Eagles the next month as a member of the practice squad.
But Ward has continued to show up. If Brown and Smith are the Eagles' receiver equivalent to Phillies stars Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, Ward is the type of player who is constantly on the bubble between Triple-A and the majors. He's Nick Maton. He's Darick Hall. He's Jake Cave. It's fair to wonder if having next-to-no job security would be a fun existence, but guys find a way to do it as they chase their dreams in professional sports. And Ward falls into that category.
It's unclear if Ward will be on the Eagles roster in Week 1. Brown, Smith and Quez Watkins will be. Ward is competing with the likes of Olamide Zaccheaus, Devon Allen, Tyrie Cleveland and Britain Covey, among others, for a roster spot. Depending upon the way the chips fall in the final weeks before the regular season begins, he could wind up back on the practice squad again.
But you just get the feeling that if Ward's number is called at all this season, the 28-year-old will be prepared to make an impact.
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