Tennessee Titans edge rusher Jihad Ward during his time with the Minnesota Vikings Stephen Maturen / Getty Images

Titans EDGE Prepares to Face Former Team

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Lane Mills | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Longevity in the NFL is both a hot commodity and a constant caution for athletes in the league. Given the obvious nature of professional football, every extra year in the league, especially for a position like the edge rusher, is essentially another tick in the box of both reliability and growing worry.

All the same, many players make their names off of the hard shell that surrounds them. The Tennessee Titans’ EDGE Jihad Ward is exactly one of those guys.

Having been drafted in 2016, in the second round, Ward has long been a consistent name in the edge rushing department, regardless of the numerous teams he’s been a part of - the (then) Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and now, of course, the Tennessee Titans.

“I know I have been on a lot of teams,” Ward said, after a late-week practice. “(The Titans) gave me an opportunity, so whatever team I am at, I am rocking with.”

The journeyman found his home in the navy (occasionally baby) blue and white in July of this past offseason, making his addition one of the team’s most recent on the roster. In five games this season, Ward has been credited with five tackles and one pass defended, and has pressured the quarterback eight times, to boot.

While not dominant, his veteran presence and complimentary playmaking have anchored a Tennessee defense that continues to improve on a weekly basis, even if just slightly so. "I've played everywhere, and whatever we have to do to get to the quarterback and stop the run, that's what I try to do,” Ward remarked.

Now, going into week 6 of the season, the experienced rusher is set to face the team that drafted him, the now Las Vegas Raiders, who share the same 1-4 with Tennessee as they prepare to host the Titans. The Raiders, newly led by head coach Pete Carroll and, similarly a former Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Geno Smith, are looking for the same run of momentum that the Titans just garnered in their inaugural win.

The only difference is, Las Vegas is coming off a 34 point loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Somehow, Ward and Tennessee may have the upper hand in a matchup where one team will leave with a slightly less embarrassing 2-4 total on the year.

“Wherever (they) put me, my goal is to dominate, no matter what position I’m in,” said Ward. Encouraging words from a position the Titans will need production from this weekend against the Raiders.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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