49ers roster: Charvarius Ward can be everything Niners need him to be

The 49ers’ biggest offseason free-agent signing was to lure in Charvarius Ward, and the veteran cornerback solves a massive issue entering 2022.

For the first time since a fully healthy Richard Sherman graced the field back in 2019, the San Francisco 49ers finally have a true No. 1 cornerback.

Much of the Niners’ offseason NFL free agency moves revolved around special teams, yet the big splash was to bring aboard former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward on a lucrative deal to help solve what had been a long issue for San Francisco ever since Sherman’s health declined in 2020.

After four years in KC, three of them starting, the 26-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State is now tasked with securing the top boundary role in coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

A tall order. But it’s one that fans should be excited about watching.

Charvarius Ward Defense & Fumbles Table
				Game	Game	Def	Def	Def	Def	Def	Fumb		Tack	Tack	Tack	Tack	Tack
Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits
2018	22	KAN		13	2	0	0	0	0	3		0.0	30	26	4	0	0
2019	23	KAN	RCB	16	16	2	10	0	10	10	1	0.0	74	56	18	0	0
2020	24	KAN	LCB	14	13	0	0	0	0	6		1.0	51	38	13	1	3
2021	25	KAN	CB	13	12	2	0	0	0	10		0.0	67	48	19	2	0
Career	Career			56	43	4	10	0	10	29	1	1.0	222	168	54	3	3

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 7/25/2022.

Ryans has somewhat shifted the 49ers defense from a predominantly zone-coverage scheme into one that employs some man-coverage packages, and that’s Ward’s game.

Understanding that will go a long way towards recognizing just how big an impact this high-profile free agent will make for the Niners, both this upcoming season and beyond.

Let’s break down what fans should expect out of Ward heading into 2022.

Schedule