The San Francisco 49ers have had a busy offseason so far, providing fans with a very nice dose of nostalgia by bringing back linebacker Dre Greenlaw and reuniting him with Fred Warner.
However, the Niners would be wise to avoid another reunion like the plague.
Some fans may have seen that the Houston Texans decided to release veteran safety Jimmie Ward earlier this month. Ward played for the 49ers from 2014 to 2022, but he has been accused of and was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence back in June of 2025. A grand jury decided not to indict him, but he got arrested again in August due to drunk driving.
It may be tempting to want to bring back another familiar face on defense, but Ward just brings too much baggage with him.
Plus, Ward is almost 35 years old and did not play the entire 2025 season as he recovered from a foot injury that limited him in 2024.
Ward played two years under head coach DeMeco Ryans in Houston after he was plucked away from San Francisco. He played well in those two seasons but was limited to just 10 games each season due to injury.
Even if one chooses to ignore the things he has been accused of, it is not exactly a smart football move to bring in an aging safety who has struggled with staying on the field his entire career and has not played since 2024.
The 49ers have taken chances on oft-injured players like that in the past, but that would probably not be a wise strategy this time around.
The Niners may still address the safety position this offseason, though. They lost veteran safety Jason Pinnock to the New York Giants, so the main three safeties on the team are now Malik Mustapha, Ji'Ayir Brown, and Marques Sigle.
All three of those players have shown flashes that they are capable of being regular starters in their brief NFL careers, but they have all also looked borderline unplayable at times.
Maybe the 49ers will decide to roll with that trio next season, but they would probably be best served by adding a safety in free agency and also drafting one in a month. That way there is some added competition in the mix.
The safety position has definite question marks surrounding it heading into next season, but adding Ward would only add more question marks, and controversial ones at that, to a position in need of answers.