On the morning after a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in their 2026 preseason opener, the Baltimore Ravens have reportedly made a running back addition. According to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, the Ravens signed veteran Jonathan Ward on Sunday.
#Ravens news: signed veteran running back Jonathan Ward today, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 16, 2026
Ward is a five-year veteran who has played for four teams in the NFL thus far. He was originally signed by the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan. After playing 32 games for the Cardinals, Ward joined the Tennessee Titans for two years and appeared in four games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
The 28-year-old running back has only 22 rushing attempts for his career with 91 rushing yards, along with another 52 receiving yards a touchdown. Ward was previously a very productive college player, totaling 3,446 scrimmage yards and 32 scores in four seasons at Central Michigan.
The Ravens are already set at running back with Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Rasheen Ali and Adam Randall all likely to be on the regular season roster. Ali suffered an injury earlier this week in practice, though, which sidelined him for consecutive practice sessions and Saturday’s preseason game. The signing of Ward could signal the Ravens expect Ali to continue to miss some time and thus need another running back to take snaps.
In their win over the Eagles, Randall led the team in rushing with 46 yards and a touchdown. Undrafted rookies Elijah Tau-Tolliver and Donte McMillan combined for 19 carries and 82 yards on the ground. Henry and Hill are unlikely to see any preseason action, so expect Ward to join this group as a candidate to receive playing time over the next couple weeks.