Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 5 biggest disappointments in training camp so far

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - MAY 23: Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers stretches during 49ers Rookie Minicamp on May 23, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - MAY 23: Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers stretches during 49ers Rookie Minicamp on May 23, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys is pushed out of bounds by Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 22: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys is pushed out of bounds by Jimmie Ward #25 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

No. 4: Cornerback Jimmie Ward

Arik Armstead isn’t the only former Trent Baalke draft pick to be a big disappointment during training camp (there’s more too). Cornerback Jimmie Ward, who has seen his career take him from a nickel corner, to a boundary corner, to free safety and now back to corner, has been both tumultuous and riddled with injury.

Ward was having numerous issues in coverage throughout the first few days of camp, like this one-on-one drill against Marquise Goodwin:

And while one has to give Ward a bit of slack here, namely because he’s relearning the cornerback position after last year, it doesn’t help Ward also ended up falling to the injury bug on July 29. Per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Ward managed to return to camp on Aug. 5 after dealing with a minor hamstring injury.

That’s good, especially considering veteran cornerback Richard Sherman is now dealing with a hamstring injury of his own and will be out at least a week.

Ward is playing on his fifth-year option, which is now fully guaranteed at $8.526 million. He’ll be on the roster in 2018, although the fact he’s landed on season-ending injured reserve three of his four pro seasons is a major red flag. Especially considering he was dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of most of training camp last year too.