T.J. Ward
Safe to say, last week was not T.J. Ward’s best
According to Pro Football Focus, Ward was the worst starter on the Denver Broncos last Thursday night, finishing with a 36.0 grade. That was good for the second worst grade amongst all qualified safeties in Week 1 — to be fair, the worst grade belonged to All-Pro Earl Thomas, so, again, take one week with a grain of salt.
Nonetheless, Ward struggled in coverage on the Panthers’ Greg Olsen, who finished with seven receptions for 73 yards. And in the run game, he wasn’t much better — his 36.8 run-defense grade from PFF was fourth worst amongst all safeties.
Ward’s a guy who lives and dies by his instincts. Most of the time, they’re right, but on Thursday, they led him astray.
Pound for pound, I think Ward is one of the best safeties in the NFL, and if he can clean up a missed-read here and there, he’ll be back to his dominating self.
