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Five Things To Know About New Steelers RB Jonathan Ward

By Jeremy Pike

Posted on May 21, 2024 at 12:15 pm

When the Pittsburgh Steelers came together for their rookie minicamp, they brought in a couple of veteran players for tryouts. They signed CB Anthony Averett fairly quickly afterward and then signed RB Jonathan Ward Tuesday before the start of Organized Team Activities. So who is the Steelers’ newest running back?

First NFL Touch, First Career Touchdown

Ward was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Arizona Cardinals in 2020. He appeared in 14 games that season, but he only recorded one offensive touch. It came in the Cardinals’ last game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams. Less than five minutes into the game, Ward took a shovel pass from backup QB Chris Streveler and sliced through the Rams’ defense to the goal line and in for the score. It was the only touchdown the Cardinals scored that game in an 18-7 loss and the only touchdown of Ward’s career to date.

Jonathan Ward punches it in. pic.twitter.com/WoOrKEVeWF

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 3, 2021

Record Setter In High School

Ward played football for Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee, Ill. Despite graduating high school in 2015, he still holds a few records at Bishop McNamara. He has the most career rushing yards with 5,689. His 84 career rushing touchdowns are tops in school history as well. He also holds the single-game rushing touchdown record after scoring seven versus De La Salle on Oct. 24, 2014.

Quiet Community Service

It’s quite common for athletes to help out in their communities, either where they’re from or where they’re playing. Ward is no different; you may just not hear about it too much. While he was with the Cardinals, he sat down for an interview with Phoenix Magazine in which he talked about interacting with the community.

“I want to connect to the local community so they can have a chance to get to know me outside of just being an athlete,” Ward said. “It’s important to me to give back to the community and support youth and families in need. I like to do random acts of kindness without it being something that the media is covering like giving to the homeless and providing clothes, shoes, and toiletries to shelters.”

In 2021, that took on the form of his second annual Community Outreach Camp & Weekend. Ward held a three-day weekend for families with a football camp, educational seminar, and a family-focused picnic and fun day.

“I want to be that person they can come to with football, school, or just going through crushes or whatever,” Ward said in an interview with the Daily Journal. “I just want to be that guy in this community kids can look up to, and when they hear my name, it’s always positive.”

Leaving A Mark At Central Michigan

Despite being an undrafted free agent, Ward showed off on the field at CMU. He finished his career with 2,544 yards on 473 carries for an average of 5.4 yards. He had 28 rushing touchdowns as well. He also proved to be a consistent option in the passing game. He caught 98 passes for 909 yards (9.3 yards per reception) and four touchdowns.

Ward’s senior year that proved to be his best. He had 1,108 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns on 183 carries. He also had 329 yards and one receiving touchdown on 34 catches as well. His 15 rushing touchdowns were the fifth-most for a single season in Central Michigan history. His 16 total touchdowns were the sixth-most in program history.

Biggest NFL Highlight Involved A Fake Punt And Defender’s Helmet

Scoring your first career touchdown is an incredible feeling. Yet Ward’s coach in Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury, calls one of Ward’s other highlights the best catch he’s ever seen. In Week 17 of the 2021 season, the Cardinals were facing the Dallas Cowboys. Kingsbury and the Cardinals called for a fake punt to Ward. The resulting play is one that truly needs to be seen to be believed.

Ward turns back to the ball and a Cowboys defender crashes right into him for a pass interference penalty. Despite the early contact, Ward gets his right hand on the ball as he falls backward. He pins the ball initially on the defender’s helmet before wrapping it into his side. The play was ruled pass interference and an automatic first down, but Ward clearly secured the ball for the catch. Either way, it’s a play that will live on in his personal highlight reel for a very long time.