49ers have enjoyed these 4 positives despite sluggish start to 2022

49ers positive No. 4: Charvarius Ward has been worth the cost

San Francisco only had one big-ticket free-agent acquisition last offseason, inking away cornerback Charvarius Ward from the Kansas City Chiefs on a lucrative three-year deal worth up to $40.5 million.

Sure, Ward wasn’t exactly great against his old team, but in fairness, few on the 49ers defense should be bragging about their efforts during that game. And Ward had just come off a groin injury, too, so it’s probable he wasn’t at 100 percent.

Taking away Week 7, the Niners’ investment in Ward is paying off nicely.

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He already has 38 tackles and nine passes broken up, as well as an interception and a forced fumble. And even including the debacle against Kansas City, Ward is forcing opposing quarterbacks to post a passer rating of just 64.3 when targeting him in coverage.

That’s good.

Considering just how big a problem San Francisco’s cornerback room was a year ago, Ward’s presence has mostly solidified this group, turning it from a weakness into a strength.

And that’s precisely what the 49ers will need if they want to stay in the playoff discussion over the second half of 2022.