49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive back Jimmie Ward

San Francisco 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward has had an unfortunate injury history, which is already affecting his prospects for a successful campaign in 2019.

San Francisco 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward probably hasn’t benefited from being switched around all over the secondary since the Niners took him No. 30 overall back in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Initially, the former collegiate safety started at nickel cornerback, then bumped outside to boundary before eventually returning to his natural free safety position. When considering how young defensive backs often struggle upon transitioning to the pro ranks, these constant switches could have been detrimental.

What’s not up for debate, however, is Ward’s injury history. The defensive back has landed on injured reserve in four of his first five seasons at the NFL level, which has caused him to miss a serious number of possible games during his career:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/17/2019.

This reputation wasn’t helped during organized team activities, when Ward broke his collarbone. Granted, he’s expected to make a full recovery in time for Week 1.

But it’s yet another mark against his efforts to stay healthy.

With that as a backdrop, what’s on tap for Ward as he hits a contract year?

Why Jimmie Ward Improves in 2019

The 49ers have remained faithful to Ward the past two seasons under the new regime, again re-signing him to a one-year deal during the offseason despite the injury past and relatively inconsistent play.

A season ago, Ward was asked to serve as a primary defensive back reserve throughout the year, and the multiple transitions seemed to affect his game play before landing on IR again.

In 2019, though, it appears as if San Francisco is intent on keeping Ward at free safety — his natural position, and a spot which should at least give the 27 year old some sense of comfort and familiarity. With the Niners switching to a wide-9 alignment, there’s a trickle-down effect, which ultimately means the strong safety will be further back in the defense.

Simply put, the 49ers will employ what looks to be more Cover 2 instead of coordinator Robert Saleh’s previous single-high scheme seen the past two seasons.

This could benefit Ward, too, as he won’t be asked to handle anywhere near the amount of field.

Why Jimmie Ward Regresses

Ward’s one-year deal makes some sense. After the 49ers made little effort to upgrade their safety grouping during the offseason, Ward essentially winds up being a low-risk insurance option — someone with starting ability, along with experience to back up essentially any other secondary position.

But it won’t matter if he can’t stay healthy. That’s reason No. 1 for any regression.

Not committing to Ward long term is also an indication the Niners front office isn’t entirely convinced the kind of play seen early in 2018 won’t replicate itself again this season. Ward struggled in coverage the past two seasons, earning slightly better than 51.0 grades from Pro Football Focus each of those years.

Perhaps Ward bounces back, but it’s just as possible he stays ranked about at this spot moving forward.

Projected Role with the 49ers in 2019

One could argue the Niners punted on their secondary needs during the offseason, not unlike what they did with their pass rush between 2018 and 2019.

That would explain the one-year deal for Ward, as would possibly the team’s switch of Tarvarius Moore from boundary cornerback to free safety during OTAs. Moore was an exceptional college safety, and his transition to cornerback in 2018 was so-so, at best.

It’s possible San Francisco is giving Moore a season to prove his value at this new spot, yet keeping the pressure from getting too high by retaining Ward.

Assuming Ward stays healthy, there’s a good chance he winds up starting when the regular season rolls around. Over the course of the year, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Moore eventually transition into the starting role, relegating Ward once again to backup duties.

After that, the 49ers likely let Ward walk in free agency, banking on Moore to hold down the job in the long run.