Ward has also played for the New York Giants. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Ward attended Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, California and was a letterman in football. In football, as a senior, he posted 1,100 rushing yards, 973 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns, was an All-Riverside County choice, won All-CIF honors, was the Team MVP, and was named the Sun Belt League Offensive MVP. As a junior, he was the Team MVP.

For his collegiate career, he rushed 460 times for 3,152 yards (6.9-yard avg.) and 39 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 96 yards (13.7-yard avg.).

He gained 1,091 yards with 11 touchdowns on 197 carries (5.5-yard avg.) and caught three passes for 49 yards (16.3-yard avg.) in 20 games at Fresno State. Ward was ruled academically ineligible to play at Fresno State in 1998, he earned Freshman All-America honors the following year despite playing with a broken right hand. He was limited to only seven games for the Bulldogs in 2000 due to a knee injury. His Fresno State career ended when he was again ruled ineligible to play in 2001 and 2002 due to academics.

Ward transferred to Ottawa University in Kansas for his final year in 2003, when he set NAIA single-season records with 2,061 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry (263 attempts). Also had 47 yards on four receptions (11.8-yard avg.) in ten games at Ottawa.

Ward was selected by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft, but never appeared in a game for them.

He was signed by the Giants off the Jets practice squad on October 13, 2004.

Ward had a good season in 2007 rushing for 602 yards on 125 touches averaging 4.8 yards per carry and three touchdowns.

On March 14, 2008, Ward was re-signed by the Giants.

Because of their success in the backfield during the 2008 season, Ward and his teammates Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw were jokingly referred to as Earth (Brandon), Wind (Derrick) and Fire (Ahmad).