Charvarius Ward

Charvarius Ward (born May 16, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Middle Tennessee State University.

Charvarius Ward
Ward with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019
No. 35 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1996-05-16) May 16, 1996
McComb, Mississippi
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:McComb (MS)
College:Middle Tennessee
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:155
Sacks:1.0
Pass deflections:19
Interceptions:2
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Ward only had three years of high school at McComb High School. He went from being a freshman to a junior in high school. As a senior, he tallied 48 tackles, one interception and received All-region honors.

He enrolled at Hinds Community College. As a freshman, he collected 32 tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defended and one forced fumble. As a sophomore, he recorded 32 tackles, one interception, 2 passes defended and one blocked kick.

He transferred to Middle Tennessee State University for his junior season, appearing in 12 games with 2 starts, while making 26 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defended, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery. As a senior, he played in 13 games with 8 starts, posting 48 tackles (sixth on the team), 3 tackles for loss, one sack and led the team with 14 passes defended.

Professional career

Ward did not receive an invitation to attend the NFL Combine. On January 20, 2018, Ward played the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. On March 12, 2018, Ward attended Middle Tennessee State's pro day and performed all of the combine and positional drills. He had a stellar performance at his pro day which greatly elevated his draft stock.[1] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Ward was ranked as the 46th best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0 5⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 198 lb
(90 kg)		 32 1⁄4 in
(0.82 m)		 10 1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		4.44 s1.71 s2.62 s4.56 s7.52 s31 in
(0.79 m)		11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m)		12 reps
All values from Middle Tennessee State Pro Day[2]

Dallas Cowboys

On April 30, 2018, the Dallas Cowboys signed Ward to a three-year, $1.71 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $5,000.[3]

Throughout training camp, Ward competed to be the fifth cornerback on the active roster against Marquez White, Duke Thomas, and Donovan Olumba.[4]

Kansas City Chiefs

On August 30, 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs traded offensive guard Parker Ehinger to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Ward to provide needed depth for their offensive line.[5] Head coach Andy Reid named Ward the fifth backup cornerback on the active roster to begin the regular season, behind Steven Nelson, Kendall Fuller, Orlando Scandrick, and Tremon Smith.[6]

On October 1, 2018, Ward made his professional regular season debut and recorded three combined tackles during a 27-23 victory at the Denver Broncos in Week 3. On December 23, 2018, Ward earned his first career start after Kendall Fuller was ruled inactive due to a thumb injury.[7][8] He recorded eight combined tackles and deflected a pass as the Chiefs lost 38-31 at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. Ward finished his rookie season in 2018 with 30 combined tackles (26 solo) and three pass deflections in 13 games and two starts.[9]

The Kansas City Chiefs finished first in the AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first round bye. On January 12, 2019, Ward started in his first career playoff game and recorded four combined tackles and deflected four passes during a 31–13 win against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, he collected seven combined tackles in the Chiefs' 37–31 loss against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. With 54 seconds remaining in the game, Ward caught what would've been the game-ending interception to send the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIII, but the play did not stand due to a penalty.

2019

Ward competed against Bashaud Breeland to be a starting cornerback. Head coach Andy Reid named Ward and Bashaud Breeland the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season in 2019.[10] On September 15, 2019, Ward made four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first career interception during a 28-10 win at the Oakland Raiders in Week 2. Ward intercepted a pass by Derek Carr, that was originally intended for wide receiver Ryan Grant, and returned it for a ten-yard gain during the third quarter. Ward then made his second interception against the Houston Texans, by snagging a one handed interception over DeAndre Hopkins.[11] Ward helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LIV where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20. Ward recorded 4 tackles in the game.

2020

In Week 7 against the Denver Broncos, Ward recorded a team high 9 tackles and sacked Drew Lock once during the 43–16 win.[12]

References
  1. "Dallas Cowboys have UDFA gem in CB Charvarius Ward (Video)". Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  2. Charvarius Ward, DS #46 CB, Middle Tennessee
  3. Eatman, Nick (April 30, 2018). "Cowboys Agree to Terms With 18 Undrafted Rookie Free Agents; Full List". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  4. "Dallas Cowboys: 10 Early Roster Bubble Candidates". thelandryhat.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  5. Helman, David (August 30, 2018). "Rookie CB Charvarius Ward Traded To KC". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  6. Goldman, Charles (September 4, 2018). "Chiefs release 1st unofficial depth chart of regular season". chiefswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  7. "Kendall Fuller injury update: Chiefs cornerback will be game-time decision vs. Seahawks". arrowheadaddict.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  8. "Charvarius Ward is next man up at corner for Chiefs". chiefswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  9. "NFL Player stats: Charvarius Ward". NFL.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  10. "Chiefs release first depth chart of 2019 season". chiefswire.usatoday.com. September 3, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  11. "Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  12. "Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – October 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
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