Gregory Mario Ward Jr. (born July 12, 1995) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
wide receiver for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...
(NFL). He played
college football at
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
as a
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
, and converted to wide receiver after going undrafted following his college career. He was a member of the
Eagles' practice squad in 2017 when they won
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Confere ...
. He also played for the
San Antonio Commanders
The San Antonio Commanders were a professional American football franchise based in San Antonio, Texas, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019. The team played their home g ...
of the
Alliance of American Football
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...
(AAF) in 2019.
Early years
Gregory Mario Ward Jr. was born and raised in
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...
. One of four children, Ward grew up in a "modest ranch house."
Ward's father worked as a truck driver and
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement pastor.
Ward graduated from
John Tyler High School
Tyler High School, formerly known as John Tyler High School, is a public, co-educational secondary school in Tyler, Texas. It is part of the Tyler Independent School District and serves 9th through 12th grade. In 2020, the Tyler I. S. D. sch ...
in 2013. As a senior, he passed for 4,202 yards, 39 touchdowns along with 861 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, and also won Player of the Year in Texas High School football. As a junior, he threw for 3,596 yards and 32 touchdowns and rushed for 1,212 yards with 18 touchdowns. He played
wide receiver his sophomore year and recorded 53 receptions for 667 yards with eight touchdowns. Ward was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
to play college football.
College career

As a true freshman at Houston in 2013, Ward appeared in 10 games as a backup quarterback and wide receiver. He passed for 310 yards with a passing touchdown, rushed for 176 yards with two touchdowns and had 95 receiving yards and a touchdown. Ward started his sophomore year as a starting wide receiver, recording 15 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown. In October, Ward took over as the starting quarterback, replacing the benched
John O'Korn
John August O'Korn (born November 22, 1994) is a former American football quarterback. After attending St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he led his team to the 2012 FHSAA 7A state high school title, O'Korn chose ...
. He started the final eight games, completing 177-of-263 passes for 2,010 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also added 573 rushing yards with six touchdowns. Ward remained Houston's starter his junior year in 2015. He was named the MVP of the
after rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns. On December 31, 2015, Ward helped the Cougars win the
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially r ...
against No. 9
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
and was named Offensive Player of the Game.
College statistics
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
Ward signed with the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2017. He was waived on September 2, 2017 and was signed to the Eagles' practice squad the next day. He was released on September 12, 2017, and was re-signed to the practice squad on September 18. While Ward was on their practice squad, the Eagles defeated the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Confere ...
.
Ward signed a reserve/future contract with the Eagles on February 7, 2018. On September 1, 2018, he was waived by the Eagles and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 7, 2018.
San Antonio Commanders
On January 1, 2019, Ward signed with the
San Antonio Commanders
The San Antonio Commanders were a professional American football franchise based in San Antonio, Texas, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019. The team played their home g ...
of the
AAF
AAF may refer to:
Aviation
* Aigle Azur (ICAO code), a French airline
* Apalachicola Regional Airport (IATA code), in Apalachicola, Florida
Corporations
* American Air Filter, today a part of HVAC-equipment-maker Daikin
Military
* Albanian Arm ...
. He recorded 22 receptions for 214 yards in the eight games the league lasted.
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

After the AAF suspended football operations, Ward re-signed with the Eagles for one year on April 9, 2019. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, but was re-signed to the team's
practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the team's active roster on September 21, following injuries to
DeSean Jackson
DeSean William Jackson (born December 1, 1986) is an American football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, where he was recognized as a co ...
and
Alshon Jeffery
Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. As a member of the ...
. He made his NFL debut in a week 3 game against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
, but was waived again on September 24. He re-signed to the team's practice squad again on September 26. He was promoted to the active roster again on November 23, 2019. He caught six passes in the Eagles 17-9 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
, totaling 40 yards. In Week 15 against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...
, Ward caught seven passes for 61 yards and his first touchdown of his NFL career in the Eagles' 37–27 win against the Redskins. Ward finished the 2019 season with 28 receptions for 254 yards.
In week 3 of the 2020 season against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
, Ward caught 8 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown in the 23-23 tie. In Week 13 against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...
, Ward caught the first career touchdown pass thrown by rookie quarterback
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Alexander Hurts (born August 7, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played his first three seasons of college football at Alabama, where he was part of the team ...
during the 30–16 loss. In week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, Ward caught 4 passes including 2 touchdowns in the 33-26 loss. Ward finished the 2020 season with 53 receptions for 419 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in 16 games.
Ward signed a one-year
exclusive-rights free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
tender with the Eagles on March 29, 2021. In
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
, Ward took a reserve role in the receiving corps after the Eagles drafted
DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith ( ; born November 14, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he recorded over 1,800 yards with 23 touchdowns as ...
. He ended the season with 7 catches for 95 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he was used in trick plays as a passer, ultimately completing one pass for 2 yards.
While he initially wasn't tendered by the Eagles in the 2022 offseason, Ward signed a new one-year deal with the team on March 15. He was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2022. He was released on September 9. On October 24, he was brought back to the practice squad.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
References
External links
Philadelphia Eagles bioHouston Cougars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Greg
1995 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Tyler, Texas
Players of American football from Texas
American football quarterbacks
American football wide receivers
Houston Cougars football players
Philadelphia Eagles players
San Antonio Commanders players