Terron Ward, over the last three seasons, managed to find a way onto the field no matter how hard the Falcons seemingly tried to replace him. He typically fared well in those games too, as his hard-charging style led to some nice runs and he threw the occasional nice block. That’s all you can expect out of your #3 back, and Ward consistently delivered.
That’s why it’s sort of a surprise to see Ward reach the open market. The Falcons had the opportunity to extend tenders to him, wide receiver Nick Williams, and safety Sharrod Neasman, and elected to bring none of them back.