T. J. Ward

T. J. Ward
refer to caption
Ward with the Denver Broncos in 2014
Free agent
Position: Strong safety
Personal information
Born: (1986-12-12) December 12, 1986
Antioch, California
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school: De La Salle
(Concord, California)
College: Oregon
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2017
Tackles: 607
Quarterback sacks: 8.5
Passes defended: 44
Interceptions: 8
Forced fumbles: 10
Defensive touchdowns: 2
Player stats at NFL.com

Terrell Ray "T. J." Ward Jr. (born December 12, 1986) is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Oregon, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Denver Broncos, with whom he won Super Bowl 50.

Early years

Ward played high school football at prep powerhouse De La Salle during their 151-game winning streak.[1] An injury early in his senior year deterred many scouts, leading him to walk-on with the Oregon Ducks.[2] He did not move up in the starting lineup until his senior year due to the talent on the team[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
5 ft 10 1⁄2 in
(1.79 m)		 211 lb
(96 kg)		 30 3⁄4 in
(0.78 m)		 9 1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.49 s 1.67 s 2.75 s 4.12 s 7.00 s 34 in
(0.86 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 19 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Oregon's Pro Day[4]

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns selected Ward in the second round (38th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was the fourth safety selected in 2010.

On July 26, 2010, the Cleveland Browns signed Ward to a four-year, $4.02 million contract that includes $3.14 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.07 million.[5]

He started all 16 games of his rookie season, recording 123 combined tackles and 2 interceptions. Ward gained national recognition for an illegal hit on Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley, where he had a helmet to helmet hit to force the ball out of Shipley's hands. Ward was fined for the hit.

Ward stepped into a larger role in 2011, but injuries held him to only 8 games. He finished the season with 39 tackles, and a sack.

Ward with the Browns training camp in 2012

Ward returned to form in 2012, starting 14 games and was quite good in coverage. As an up-and-coming player, he finished with 68 tackles, a sack, and an interception.

Ward had a breakout season in 2013, starting all 16 games and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press. He finished the year with 123 Tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 10 passes defended.

Denver Broncos

On March 11, 2014, Ward signed with the Denver Broncos on a four-year, $23 million contract.[6][7][8] On December 24, he earned a second consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl.

Ward had 61 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and six passes defended in the 2015 NFL season. The Broncos finished with the #1 defense and a 12-4 record. In the Divisional Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ward recorded four tackles in a 23–16 victory. In the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, Ward had six tackles before having to leave the game with an ankle injury and did not return. The Broncos later went on to win the game 20–18. Ward returned to play in the Broncos 24–10 victory in Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers, where he recorded seven tackles, a pass defended, a fumble recovery, and an interception.[9][10] He was ranked 68th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[11]

On September 2, 2017, Ward was released by the Broncos.[12][13]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On September 3, 2017, Ward signed a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[14]

NFL statistics

YearTeamGPCOMBTOTALASTSACKFFFRFR YDSINTIR YDSAVG IRLNGTDPD
2010CLE 1612395280.010023919.523010
2011CLE 83928111.0100000003
2012CLE 146850181.0300137373704
2013CLE 1611275371.5015125728.54415
2014DEN 157460142.000025527.53705
2015DEN 126150112.0200000006
2016DEN 148769181.0320123232308
2017TB 124331120000000003
Career1076074581498.510351821126.444144

[15]

Personal life

Ward is the older brother of current Atlanta Falcons running back Terron Ward and is the god brother of former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew.[16]

On January 3, 2018, Ward was arrested in Tampa, Florida for possession of marijuana. He was released from jail on a $2,500 bond.[17] The charges against him would ultimately be dropped.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Former De La Salle/Oregon safety T.J. Ward's long journey to Super Bowl 50 - MaxPreps". MaxPreps.com. 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  2. ↑ http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=529225
  3. ↑ Ben Swanson, April 27, 2015. When I was Drafted. http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/When-I-was-drafted-TJ-Wards-story/516216c8-180c-4d87-9674-2ee9b3bb9c27
  4. ↑ "T.J. Ward, DS #2 SS, Oregon". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Spotrac.com: T.J. Ward contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. ↑ Schefter, Adam. "Broncos are signing former Browns S TJ Ward, per sources". Twitter. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (March 11, 2014). "T.J. Ward, Denver Broncos agree on contract". NFL.com. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  8. ↑ "T.J. Ward signs with Broncos as Denver's new strong safety". DenverPost.com. March 11, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  9. ↑ Garber, Greg (February 8, 2016). "Best and worst of Super Bowl 50". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  10. ↑ Martin, Jill (February 8, 2016). "Super Bowl 2016: Broncos defense dominates as Peyton Manning wins second title". CNN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 - No. 68 T.J. Ward
  12. ↑ Sessler, Marc (September 2, 2017). "Broncos release former Pro Bowl safety T.J. Ward". NFL.com.
  13. ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Ward: Broncos 'unprofessional' with timing of release". NFL. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Bucs signing T.J. Ward to 1-year deal worth up to $5M". NFL.com. September 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ "T.J. Ward". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  16. ↑ http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2010/11/its_another_missed_chance_for.html
  17. ↑ "T.J. Ward arrested on marijuana possession charge". NFL. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  18. ↑ Auman, Greg (June 9, 2018). "Prosecutors drop drug charges against ex-Bucs safety T.J. Ward". tampabay.com. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
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