ratings updated 17 Oct 2026
Profile
Season stats
Full career & schedule →Domestic-league season · Derby.
Performance data · by competition
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 League Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 5.9 |
Scout report
J. Ward is a 31-year-old full-back at Derby, rated 25.3 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 197th of 272 on scout potential in the Championship. A seasoned veteran, he has been a fringe squad member this season (30.6% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 4.12 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Ward.
Judged on this season alone, Ward graded 12 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 30th of 37 of the 37 full-backs in the Championship, on 1 clean sheet and 4.123 defensive actions per 90.
Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 40 → 12). Over the 7 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2025/26.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 25, 32nd of 37 of the 37 full-backs in the Championship. At 31 Ward is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 5.2 reflects that trajectory.
Below his 2025/26 peak but holding a solid level — the platform for a return is there.
Output in context · Derby finished 23rd of 24 · a relegation-threatened side
4.12 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — solid defensive volume, with 1 clean sheet across 9 appearances. Doing that for a relegation-threatened side (23rd of 24) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight.
Strengths
- Defensive volume. 4.12 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — does the unseen work.
Watch points
- Game time. Only 30.6% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
- Age curve. At 31, both level and resale value are on the downslope.
- Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.
Outlook
With a Rating of 25.3, Ward carries the 32nd-highest potential of the full-backs in the Championship of 37 — though on just 9 appearances this season, so the standing rests on a small sample. Defensively he reads as solid defensive volume (4.12 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.9× and falling).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
Season statistics
Bars = where he ranks among full-backs in the Championship with 600+ minutes this season.
Shooting
Passing
Possession
Defending
Yellow/red cards
Transfer news
No transfer news found for this player.
