Gregory Mario Ward Jr. was born and raised in Tyler, Texas. One of four children, Ward grew up in a "modest ranch house." Ward's father worked as a truck driver and Pentecostal pastor. Ward graduated from John Tyler High School 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 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. 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 2015 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game after rushing for 148 yards and two touchdowns. On December 31, 2015, Ward helped the Cougars win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against No. 9 Florida State and was named Offensive Player of the Game.
College statistics
Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
Ward signed with the Philadelphia Eagles 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 in Super Bowl LII. 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.
On January 1, 2019, Ward signed with the San Antonio Commanders of the AAF. He would go on to catch 22 passes for 214 yards in the eight games the league lasted.
Second stint with Eagles
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 and Alshon Jeffery. He made his NFL debut in a week 3 game against the Detroit Lions, 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 6 passes in the Eagles 17-9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, totaling 40 yards. In week 15 against the Washington Redskins, 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 season with 28 receptions for 254 yards.
