The Dallas Cowboys have always taken an aggressive approach to roster building. That philosophy has been in place for decades as the front office built by owner/general manager Jerry Jones treats free agency as a 365-day-a-year endeavor.
Being aggressive in free agency and on the trade market can give a team a major boost when the decisions pay off. However, the same strategy can produce busts that need to be pushed out the door almost as quickly as they walked through it.
One of those trade busts is back in the news as the veteran has signed on with one of the league's bottom dwellers in an attempt to make a name for himself and build his value.
Failed Cowboys Trade Addition Jihad Ward Signs with Titans
There is no lottery in the NFL to determine the draft order as there is in the NBA, NHL, and MLB. To have the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft means you either paid a king's ransom to trade into that position or you were the worst team in the league the previous season. To put it plainly, the Tennessee Titans were downright bad during the 2024 campaign. Their record of 3-14 reinforces that fact.
With areas of concern all over the roster, the addition of former Miami Hurricanes QB Cam Ward isn't going to turn things around in Nashville anytime soon. That makes the Titans a prime destination for players looking to prove their worth. One former Cowboys linebacker, Jihad Ward, is hoping to seize that opportunity by signing with the franchise as a free agent, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Sources: The #Titans are signing former #Vikings LB Jihad Ward.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 24, 2025
Ward played in all 17 games last season with Minnesota and has 19 career sacks. pic.twitter.com/xADSl9Pzxf
Ward was acquired from the Oakland Raiders ahead of the 2018 season in exchange for wide receiver Ryan Switzer, a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2017. Switzer's stay in Oakland was short-lived, as he was ultimately traded again to the Pittsburgh Steelers before Week 1.
The linebacker's stay in Dallas was just as short as Switzer's tenure with Oakland. Despite his connection with Rod Marinelli, the defensive coordinator at the time, Ward did not survive the team's final cuts and never appeared in a regular-season game for the Cowboys.
Since then, Ward has suited up for the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and, most recently, the Minnesota Vikings. In 119 games played over his nine-year NFL career, Ward has racked up 168 total tackles, 19.0 quarterback sacks, and three forced fumbles.
In a league that can be as cutthroat as the NFL when it comes to contracts and overall career longevity, the fact that Ward continues to get opportunities to prove himself shows that there is enough there to keep teams intrigued.
It may not have worked out in Dallas for the former University of Illinois standout. Ward has another chance at making a roster in front of him with the Titans, though. If he plans on continuing his playing career at the game's highest level, he would be wise to take full advantage of the opportunity.