Injured 49ers safety Jimmie Ward likely to miss Week 1
49ers safety Jimmie Ward pulled his hamstring “a little worse” than other players who suffer this injury, and is unlikely to return for Week 1
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday that Week 1 of the NFL season is on the line for safety Jimmie Ward who’s suffering a “pretty bad hamstring injury.”
Ward sustained the injury in practice Sunday and was not able to practice Monday.
The 31-year-old who started 16 games last season for San Francisco, was listed as the 49ers’ starting free safety on their first unofficial depth chart. Talanoa Hufanga was listed as the starting strong safety, while George Odom and Leon O’Neal Jr. were also listed as backups at free safety.
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Despite having several backups to choose from, Shanahan said these players are “neck and neck” when it comes to who could best fit Ward’s temporary place.
“We have George, who’s done a good job,” Shanahan said. “We probably will have to add some more people there, especially with [CB] Dontae [Johnson], because Dontae has done a real good job also. But he might be out this week too with his rib cartilage, so we’ll see how it goes with the roster.”
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Since Ward has joined the 49ers as the No. 30 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, he has totaled 77 combined tackles for a career-high, six passes defensed and two interceptions. In addition to scoring a touchdown in the 2021 season, Ward was the No. 16 rated safety in the league, with a 90.2 rating that made him the best run defender at the position.
The 49ers will face the Minnesota Vikings in a preseason game Saturday in Minneapolis, followed by the Houston Texans on Aug. 25 in their final preseason game. They will then face the Chicago Bears in their first regular-season game on Sept. 11 in Chicago, the same day Tom Brady is set to have his first start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.