Last Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals tied, 23-23. In the first half, the Eagles managed to escape with a 13-10 lead. After performing miserably over the majority of the first half, Carson Wentz marched Philadelphia down the field. A five-play 60-yard drive that ended in a 29-yard Greg Ward Jr. touchdown. Ward has been somewhat of a saving grace to this Eagles offense over the past two seasons. It hasn’t been an easy path to NFL starter for Ward. He went from starting Houston QB in college to being cut in three straight training camps and ending up in the AAF. Now he’s making a living as a wide receiver on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Eagles Offensive Player of the Week: Greg Ward Jr.
Greg Ward Jr. led the team in targets this past Sunday. He hauled in 8 catches for 72 yards and a touchdown on his 11 targets. Ward has been a consistent ray of light over the course of the past two seasons. He is seemingly one of the only Eagles who is consistently ready when his name is called upon. Ward caught passes of 12, 6, 0, 16, 29, 0, 4, and 5 yards on Sunday. Ward has somewhat become the go-to guy, but only when everyone else is hurt. Suppose Ward received more targets, who knows what he could achieve? Last year he was arguably the Eagles savior going down the stretch. As a healthy body, Ward has already shown his playmaking ability, stretching back to last season. Ward may not have received the nod from me had Miles Sanders not suffered from fatigue in the second half.
Ward’s Role Going Forward
If the Eagles are going to turn around their 2020 season, Greg Ward Jr. is going to have to be a focal point in this offense. DeSean Jackson is no guarantee to play this week, and only God knows when Alshon Jeffrey is going to return to action. Dallas Goedert and Jalen Reagor are both sidelined for the foreseeable future, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside has been about as useful as Carson Wentz’s accuracy on the season. Ward and Zach Ertz are going to have to carry the load for a consistently snakebitten offense. Ward is only 25, and while only 5’10”, has consistently showed the ability to make plays for this Eagles offense. Is it time to consider him a part of the Eagles future?
