In the cruel, cruel NFL, T.J. Ward hand-paved the path to his own release

DENVER — “With the 98th pick in the 2016 draft,” Demarcus Ware said from a podium in Chicago. “The Denver Broncos select Justin Simmons, defensive back, Boston College.”

Shortly thereafter, as he celebrated with a group of family and friends, Simmons got a text. It was Pro-Bowl safety T.J. Ward, welcoming him to the star-studded defensive backfield before any other Bronco. The beginning of a friendship and a mentorship.

A day later, in the sixth round, the team selected Will Parks, another safety. At the time, the thought was that the Broncos were adding depth at the positions behind ‘No Fly Zone’ members Ward and Darian Stewart. They needed it with the departure of David Bruton.

When Simmons and Parks reported for rookie mini camp, Ward was there. In their first interaction, he simply told them to pay attention to then-defensive backs coach Joe Woods. The first of an endless stream of tips for the rookies.

As 2016 defensive coordinator Wade Phillips dropped pop quizzes on the young players, it was Ward—among others—who had them prepared. In more than 25 tests, the pair never missed one question. They had earned themselves some playing time in the best secondary in the National Football League.

A disappointing season came and went for the team, but Parks and Simmons proved to be the bright spots of the 2016 class, even combining on a play that miraculously grasped a Denver Broncos victory from the hands of defeat.

Despite all of the positive momentum heading into their second season, though, the two young safeties were still seen as depth pieces.

Somewhere along the way, that all changed.

On Aug. 4, Ward, the three-time pro bowler, inauspiciously walked to the locker room during practice. It was later revealed that he suffered a hamstring injury. At the time, it seemed like a minor bump in the road for the ‘No Fly,’ but it would lead to an entire preseason without No. 43 on the field.

In the words of Broncos head coach Vance Joseph, “Opportunity leads to promotion.”

Simmons started the entire preseason at safety; Parks started at the dime linebacker position the Broncos love so much. In their time on the field, the No. 1 defense gave up as many touchdowns as they scored themselves—one—a two-yard run after a near pick-six from the hand of Trevor Siemian.

Oh, and by the way, the promotion of those two players opened up playing time for an undrafted rookie safety by the name of Jamal Carter. Carter, now a member of the 53-man roster, led the team in preseason tackles, proving to be another “dog in the box” for the Denver defense.

In the NFL, if you have one good player behind you, you’re alright; everybody needs depth. If you have two good players behind you, though, well, you might be in trouble.

Between Simmons, who can play both free and strong safety, Stewart, who can play both free and strong safety and the combination of Parks and Carter at the dime linebacker position, the Broncos had a whole bunch of options. Suddenly the idea of a Stewart-Simmons combination up the middle seemed like an upgrade in pass coverage. Suddenly, the Broncos could get younger, healthier and cheaper in the box. Suddenly, T.J. Ward was expendable.

Parks was sitting right next to Ward when the defensive leader found out that his name was involved in a series of rumors, all of which surrounding the idea that he would no longer be a Denver Bronco.

“I was taken back,” the grasshopper admitted.

“I’m not even going to lie to you,” Parks continued. “He probably helped me out with about 80 percent of what I know now in the league. Not just as a football player, a lot of people would probably tell you that I hang with him outside of football. To hear that news, it took me back as far as like, you just never know what can happen. This is the NFL; it’s a grown man’s game at the end of the day. People are going to make the decisions they have to make, but at the same time, I love T.J. like a big brother. He taught me a lot. On the field, off the field, taught me how to move around, how to determine who is real and who isn’t. There are a lot of things I could tell you that he did for me but one thing is for sure; I love him like a big brother.”

“The easier question would be, ‘What hasn’t he done?’” Simmons added of what Ward has done for him. “T.J. has been there for me since day one… He’s just been there for me since day one… It’s crazy.”

Just one year earlier, before Parks’ first training camp, it was Ward who explained the cutthroat nature of the NFL to the young gun during his charity golf tournament.

“Look, they brought you in,” the vet told Parks. “I’ve got to teach you everything I know.”

His first piece of advice?

‘This is a business,” he explained. “So whatever’s going on, if you make the team or not, I’m always going to look out for you.”

Reminded of that memory, Parks paused.

“He’s a great man,” the second-year player explained with his eyes pointed toward the ceiling. “Great man.”

Just over one year after that golf tournament, on Sept. 2, 2017, it was the sensei who fell victim to the heartless nature of the National Football League. After the team failed to find a trade partner, T.J. Ward was informed of his release around 8:30 am.

On the same day the Broncos brought back Brock Osweiler, slaughtered repeatedly by the fan base for his perceived lack of loyalty, Ward’s release served as a stark reminder that loyalty hardly exists on the other side of things.

A man loyal enough to teach his eventual successors everything he knew, made expendable by their very success. Welcome to the NFL.