1. He's one of the best in the business.
Ward is a three-time Pro Bowler and a former All-Pro. He was selected as the No. 68 player in the league on NFL Network's Top 100 list in 2016, though he missed the list this year.
2. He was in the same draft class as Gerald McCoy.
The Buccaneers' used their first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft to select Gerald McCoy, who has since gone on to add five Pro Bowl appearances to his resume. Ward was selected in the second round of that year's draft, going No. 38 overall to Cleveland. Ward was drafted ahead of a few notable players, including Rob Gronkowski and Linval Joseph.
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- He's reached the pinnacle.**
By signing Ward, the Buccaneers are adding a player with a championship pedigree. Ward was a part of the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 championship team. He had seven tackles, the second-most on the team, in Denver's victory over Carolina.
4. He was a late bloomer.
Ward played for one of the top high school programs in the country – De La Salle in California. He was a part of the school's legendary, 151-game win streak. But Ward wasn't the most highly-recruited player coming out of high school and began his college career as a walk-on at Oregon. He didn't move into the starting lineup until his senior year.
5. Football is in his blood.
Ward is the brother of Falcons running back Terron Ward and has close ties to former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Both Ward and Jones-Drew played at for the same high school program.
