The 49ers knew the risks when they re-signed the oft-injured Jimmie Ward to play free safety. Now he’s hurt again just a few practices into OTAs. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Ward fractured his collarbone.
The good news is the injury won’t end his season. The bad news is it’s the continuation of a disconcerting trend that’s lingered over Ward since the 49ers selected him No. 30 overall in the 2014 draft.
Over his five NFL seasons, Ward has played 16 games only once in 2015, and hit the double-digit mark one other time with 11 games played the following year. He’s ended each of the last three seasons on Injured Reserve, and played only 16 games combined the last two years.
This was a pretty big gamble by the 49ers’ front office. They elected to re-sign Ward to a one-year deal with the hope he could be their free safety. There were no other additions made to the roster at that position, and now the team already finds themselves dipping into their depth chart to find Ward’s replacement.
One silver lining is that Ward knows the defense and could conceivably slide back into a starting role once he’s healthy. The team doesn’t play a preseason game until August 10, and their regular season slate doesn’t open until September 8. Perhaps Ward is healthy by then and in the starting lineup for the season opener.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweeted that Ward could be back by the start of training camp.
On the other hand, the 49ers already tried banking on Ward’s health once this offseason and it backfired quickly. Electing to take another chance on the injury-prone safety would be a risky proposition.
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