Tag: Jonathan Ward

Steelers sign former Cardinals, Titans RB to reserve/future contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers brought RB Jonathan Ward back on a reserve/future deal after practice squad contract expired.

Running back Jonathan Ward, one of the players whose practice squad contracts expired on Monday, returned to the team on a reserve/future deal.

Ward, who formerly suited up for the Arizona Cardinals (2020-2022) and Tennessee Titans (2022, 2023), appeared in four games for Pittsburgh in the 2024 season. He logged 22 yards on five attempts.

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Steelers-Ravens wild card game has 4 Cardinals player connections

Between the rosters and reserves of the Steelers and Ravens, there are four former Cardinals players.

The Arizona Cardinals are not in the playoffs, but a few former Cardinals players are involved in the postseason.

The second Saturday game of the wild card round of the NFL playoffs has the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET and will stream on Amazon Prime Video.

The Ravens are favored in the game.

Between the two teams on their rosters, reserves and practice squads, the Steelers and Ravens have four former Cardinals players.

Let’s see who they are!

Former Cardinals on the Steelers

  • RB Jonathan Ward

Ward is on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. He played in four games for the Steelers this season. He played for the Cardinals from 2020-2022, playing mostly special teams.

He is the only former Cardinals player on the Steelers currently.

Former Cardinals on the Ravens

  • OL Josh Jones

Jones was drafted by the Cardinals in the third round in 2020 and played three seasons for them. He was traded to Houston in 2023 and signed with Baltimore last offseason. He was their backup tackle, appearing in 16 games this past year.

  • CB Christian Matthew

Matthew is on injured reserve and has been all season. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round in 2022 and played in 18 games, starting three times, before he was cut during the 2023 season. He was on their practice squad late in 2023, re-signed with the team, got hurt before the season and landed on IR.

  • CB Trayvon Mullen

Mullen is also on injured reserve for the Ravens. The Cardinals traded for him before the 2022 season and he played in eight games before being released. He hasn’t played in a game since 2022 because of injuries.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Steelers make practice squad swap on Friday

The Steelers signed RB Jonathan Ward to the practice squad on Friday.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced a pair of practice squad moves ahead of this week’s game with the Cleveland Browns. The team announced they were re-signing running back Jonathan Ward to the practice squad and to make room, releasing defensive tackle Domenique Davis.

Ward has been on and off of the practice squad throughout this season as the team needs depth at running back. He appeared in four games this season and has five carries for 22 rushing yards.

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Steelers add yet another RB to the practice squad in response to injuries

The Steelers running back situation isn’t looking great heading into Sunday’s game with the Cowboys.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are only a month into the season but the injuries are already starting to mount. In particular, the Steelers have become incredibly thin at running back over a very short period of time.

When the Steelers take on the Dallas Cowboys this week, there’s a real possibility that both Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson will be out or at the very least limited. In response, the Steelers brought back a running back they had on their offseason roster in La’Mical Perine and added him back to the practice squad.

This gives the Steelers several options this week against the Cowboys to back up Najee Harris. Last week the Steelers called up Aaron Shampklin to the 53-man roster as the team’s third back but we expect it to come down to Perine and Jonathan Ward and it could be both guys on the gameday roster by the time Sunday gets here.

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Steelers bringing preseason star back to practice squad

The Steelers are signing Jonathan Ward to the practice squad.

The Pittsburgh Steelers got some solid performances from several of their backup running backs during training camp and the preseason. According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Steelers are bringing at least one of them back to the practice squad.

Wilson says the Steelers are planning to sign Jonathan Ward back to the practice squad after a strong preseason. We were hoping that either Ward or La’Mical Perine would be back after the Steelers kept only three running backs and no fullback on the initial 53-man roster.

Steelers key backup running back Jaylen Warren suffered an injury in the preseason but said he will be ready to go in Week One against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Steelers have reportedly also signed former Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott to the practice squad. The Steelers might be loaded up at the position to sort out if they want to carry a true third running back on the roster as opposed to using hybrid Cordarrelle Patterson.

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Steelers backup running backs stand out vs Texans

There’s a real position battle brewing at running back after Friday night.

There wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about on Friday night about the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. With third-string quarterback Kyle Allen playing the bulk of the snaps, the passing offense didn’t do much against the Houston Texans defense.

But if there was an aspect of the offense that we did like on Friday night it was the play of the backup running backs. Starter Najee Harris only had three carries for nine yards and main backup Jaylen Warren had three carries for 11 yards.

Meanwhile, reserves Jonathan Ward and Daijun Edwards were great in limited action. Ward had 26 yards on just 2 carries, getting 20 on one touch. Diajun Edwards was even better with 28 yards on only three carries and a touchdown.

The Steelers will need to decide when it is time to trim down to the final 53-man roster if that wildcard spot on offense will go to an extra running back, a true fullback or an extra tight end. After one game, we want to see Edwards get that spot and be the team’s No. 3 back with Cordarrelle Patterson as more of a return specialist.

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Titans promote 2, elevate 2 ahead of game vs. Dolphins

The Titans announced a total of four roster moves ahead of their Week 14 game against the Dolphins.

The Tennessee Titans announced a total of four moves ahead of their “Monday Night Football” game against the Miami Dolphins.

The team announced it has promoted both punter Ty Zentner and running back Jonathan Ward to the active roster from the practice squad.

Also, linebacker JoJo Domann and defensive lineman Marlon Davidson are standard practice squad elevations for the game against the Dolphins. Both will revert back following the contest.

Zentner will be making his Titans debut as he replaces injured punter Ryan Stonehouse, who is out for the season. Ward will serve as the third running back behind Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears and will help on special teams.

If they’re active and see the field, Domann and Davidson would also be making their Titans debuts.

Domann was signed this week and interim special teams coordinator Tom Quinn mentioned him as someone who could serve as a personal protector for punts, along with Ward.

Davidson was inked to the practice squad back in October but has yet to play a game.

The Titans and Dolphins will kick off from Hard Rock Stadium at 8:15 p.m. EST.

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Titans sign Matthew Jackson, Jonathan Ward to practice squad

The Titans brought back two recently-waived players on the practice squad on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans made two additions to their practice squad on Tuesday, with the team bringing back running back Jonathan Ward and safety Matthew Jackson. Both were waived prior to the Week 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After appearing in three games for Tennessee last season, Ward was brought back this past offseason but suffered an injury during training camp that led to his being waived.

He was brought back on the practice squad late last month before eventually being promoted to the active roster. Ward has played in two games for the Titans this season.

Jackson was an undrafted free-agent signing of the Titans and was one of the bigger surprises on the initial 53-man roster. The Eastern Kentucky product has played two snaps on defense and 133 on special teams.

Tennessee made three moves in total on Tuesday, with the team also waiving defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson, who took to Twitter to voice his frustration with the situation in Nashville after.

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Titans promoting RB Jonathan Ward to 53-man roster

The Titans are reportedly promoting RB Jonathan Ward to the active roster.

The Tennessee Titans are adding another running back to their active roster to go along with Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Titans are promoting running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad to the active roster.

Ward appeared in three games for the Titans after signing in Nashville last season. He was then brought back in 2023 before an injury ended his bid to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.

Ward was then signed to Tennessee’s practice squad in late October and has been elevated for two games since. He’s played just three snaps on offense and 36 on special teams over those two contests.

The Titans have been carrying just two backs on their active roster, thus Ward gives them a third. However, his primary focus will be playing on special teams, where he’s proven to be an asset during his career.

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Titans elevate RB Jonathan Ward for Week 9

The Titans have elevated RB Jonathan Ward for the Week 9 game against the Steelers.

The Tennessee Titans are making one practice squad elevation for the Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

Tennessee announced it is elevating running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad, which will give the Titans a third running back, along with Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears, and an extra hand on special teams.

Ward was first signed by the Titans in 2022 and appeared in three games last season, playing mostly on special teams. He also handled five carries for 25 yards and caught two passes for seven yards.

The Central Michigan product was brought back this past offseason and had a good shot to make the initial 53-man roster before suffering an injury that led to him being waived with an injury designation.

Tennessee brought Ward back late last month on the practice squad and he was elevated for the Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons, where he played 24 snaps on special teams and three on offense.

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