Ward, 6-5, 290 pounds, was signed to the Colts practice squad on September 3. He participated in the Dallas Cowboys' 2018 offseason program and training camp before being waived during final cuts on September 1. Ward was acquired by the Cowboys in a trade with the Oakland Raiders on April 28, 2018. In two seasons (2016-17) with the Raiders, he played in 21 games (14 starts) and tallied 33 tackles (22 solo), 1.0 sack and one fumble recovery. Ward was originally selected by Oakland in the second round (44th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.