San Francisco 49ers: 5 storylines you did not expect in 2019
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Jimmie Ward Would Have a Career Year
Admit it, you probably groaned a bit when the 49ers elected to bring back oft-injured defensive back Jimmie Ward on a one-year deal last offseason. And you surely groaned a bit more when he suffered a broken collarbone during training camp.
But Ward’s 2019 campaign has been nothing like his previous ones. If anything, it’s been a career year.
Pro Football Focus has awarded Ward with an 82.2 overall grade on the season after 16 weeks, which is quite excellent. More importantly, he has solidified the free safety spot, which many consider to be the most crucial position in coordinator Robert Saleh’s defensive scheme. And while Ward hasn’t intercepted any passes yet this season, his eight pass breakups rank third best among Niners defenders.
More importantly, his coverage skills have limited the number of passes thrown in his direction.
Fortunately, it appears as if Ward is finally getting some recognition on national levels, as his efforts this year were good enough to get him named as a 2020 Pro Bowl alternate.
Yeah, you probably didn’t see that coming.