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Jimmie Ward

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

August 31st, 2022 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Cardinals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Signed:

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Released from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • LB Joshua Onujiogu

Placed on IR:

Reverted to IR:

Signed to practice squad:

49ers Set 53-Man Roster, Plan To Place S Jimmie Ward On IR

August 30th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers’ 53-man roster is set, with a couple of exceptions. Multiple players included among Tuesday’s cuts will be back with the team. Some will also stick around via the practice squad. Here is how San Francisco reached the 53-man limit:

Released:

Waived:

Kroft and Willis will be on the 53-man roster soon, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, who notes (via Twitter) the two have agreed to re-sign with the 49ers. Each is a vested veteran, allowing them to skip the waiver process. A Bengals draftee, Kroft spent two seasons in Buffalo and was with the Jets in 2021. A rotational D-lineman, Willis has been with the 49ers since 2020.

These two will take the roster spots of Jimmie Ward and linebacker Curtis Robinson, who will each be placed on IR. By waiting until Wednesday to move each to IR, the 49ers will ensure Ward and Robinson can play in 2022. Ward suffered what appears to be a significant hamstring injury and will miss at least the first four games this season.

Hasty has resided as a fill-in back for the 49ers over the past two seasons; they have needed him in each. The team currently rosters Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon and rookie Tyrion Davis-Price at running back. Snead and Turner signed with the 49ers this offseason; each has practice squad eligibility. Teams can carry up to six vested veterans on their 16-man taxi squads. Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy beat out Sudfeld for the 49ers’ No. 3 QB job. Offset language exists in Sudfeld’s deal, Maiocco tweets, allowing the 49ers to potentially be off the hook for the $2MM they guaranteed him.

Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that Jimmy Garoppolo — back after taking a pay cut — will be Trey Lance‘s top backup. While this would have been quite the gamble, Shanahan said Purdy would have been Lance’s backup had Garoppolo not accepted the pay cut (Twitter link via Maiocco).

49ers S Jimmie Ward Likely To Land On IR

August 25th, 2022 at 9:55pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like veteran Jimmie Ward is going to miss part of the upcoming season. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner writes that the 49ers safety is likely to land on injured reserve to start the regular season, which would knock him out for the first four games.

[RELATED: 49ers To Sign S Tashaun Gipson]

Ward originally suffered a hamstring injury back on August 14. The injury was described as “pretty bad,” and while the safety was expected to miss some time with the issue, it was uncertain if it’d extend into the regular season. It sounds like that’ll be the case, meaning Ward would miss at least one game for the sixth-consecutive season.

With that said, the 31-year-old has been healthier in recent years. After being limited to only 16 games between 2017 and 2018, Ward has missed only six contests over the past three years. He started a career-high 16 games this past season, finishing with 77 tackles, six passes defended, and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus ended up ranking him 16th among 92 qualifying safeties last season.

“He allows us to do what we do,” Lynch said (via Wagoner). “He’s a safety who plays like a safety but also covers like a corner. He’s often times our best cover man, so it’s a big loss. But we got to find a way to step up.”

Assuming Ward does miss some time, the 49ers would likely turn to former cornerback Dontae Johnson, Tarvarius Moore, or George Odum. The 49ers also recently signed safety Tashaun Gipson.

Injury Updates: 49ers, Rams, Browns, Bears

August 16th, 2022 at 3:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have been dealing with a number of minor injuries in training camp lately, but one which is significant not only in its serenity but also its impact on the team is the one currently ailing free safety Jimmie Ward. He has suffered a hamstring injury, and his Week 1 availability is now in question, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link).

Ward has been a starter on the backend in San Francisco since his second season in 2015. He has been a consistent contributor throughout that time, including on the NFC-winning squad of 2019. His level of play that year earned him a three-year extension, giving him financial security for the first time in his career.

Ward is in line to start once again in 2022, the final season of that deal. He and 2021 fifth-rounder Talanoa Hufanga are the top safety options on the depth chart, so any extended absence from Ward would be a major blow to a 49ers team looking to repeat last season’s playoff run, and whose weakness on defense is generally viewed as being in the secondary. Tarvarius Moore and George Odum would be amongst the team’s options to fill in for Ward should he miss any time.

Here are some other injury notes from around the league, starting with another NFC West contender:

  • The Rams are facing some uncertainty in their offensive backfield. Head coach Sean McVay announced that running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are both dealing with “soft-tissue” injuries (Twitter link via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop). The pair are in line to occupy the top two spots on the depth chart, though injuries are nothing new to either player. McVay added that neither of them will return to practice until they have fully recovered, but didn’t provide a timeline regarding when that may take place.
  • The center position has become a sore spot for the Browns recently, given the season-ending injury to Nick Harris, who was the favorite to take over the starting role. The team’s depth at the pivot is being tested even further, as seventh-round rookie Dawson Deaton suffered a torn ACL, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). With him sidelined for the season as well, Cleveland is down to free agent signing Ethan Pocic and UDFA Brock Hoffman as their only remaining healthy options. Pocic has starting experience, but another addition would come as little surprise at this point.
  • Another team dealing with center injuries is the Bears. Sixth-round rookie Doug Kramer is believed to have suffered a Lisfranc injury, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). In that case, his 2022 availability will be seriously in doubt, something which would be especially problematic if starter Lucas Patrick isn’t recovered from the hand surgery he had recently in time for the start of the regular season.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/8/22

January 8th, 2022 at 6:52pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

January 5th, 2022 at 11:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/3/22

January 3rd, 2022 at 8:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Monday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OT Mike Remmers (remains on IR)

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Raymond Calais (remains on IR)

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

49ers Restructure Jimmie Ward’s Deal

September 10th, 2021 at 9:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering Friday at the bottom of the NFL in cap space, the 49ers moved back toward the middle of the pack with one move. They redid safety Jimmie Ward‘s deal, creating nearly $6MM in cap room, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

San Francisco carried less than $1MM in space, per OverTheCap, prior to this move. The team moved around $7.8MM of Ward’s 2021 salary into a bonus, creating approximately $5.85MM in cap room, per Yates. This slides the 49ers up to 16th in cap space going into Week 1.

This marks the first Ward restructure. The former first-round pick re-signed with the 49ers last year, doing so after a lengthy stretch without a long-term deal. Ward played out his rookie contract, which included a fifth-year option season, and re-signed to stay in San Francisco on a one-year deal in 2019. After Ward played a key role for the NFC champion 49ers defense that season, he received a three-year, $28.5MM offer. That deal initially called for an $8.4MM base salary this season. That number is now much lower.

While this move will raise Ward’s 2022 cap figure, it gives the 49ers some additional flexibility going into this season.

49ers Re-Sign Jimmie Ward

March 17th, 2020 at 8:44am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have been forced to reshape their defense, but they’re still looking to hold on to their own where ever possible. That’s what they did with safety Jimmie Ward, who has been re-upped on a new three-year deal worth $28.5MM, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: 49ers Trade Buckner To Colts]

Ward, 28, has been set back by injuries throughout his career, but he stayed healthy for the most part and shined in 2019. The veteran tallied a career-best 65 tackles in 13 starts, an indicator that even better things could be on the horizon.

Last year, the Niners kept Ward with a one-year prove-it deal. This time around, he has the security of a multi-year pact that will pay him $9.5MM per annum.

The Northern Illinois product was an integral part of SF’s secondary last year. On the whole, the unit graded out No. 2 in defensive DVOA. He also settled in at the free safety position – before last year, he saw time at multiple spots as coaches tried to figure out the best way to use him.

All along, Ward has said that he wanted to return to the NFC champs.

“This is where I would like to be,” Ward said in February (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “I like to continue playing for this great organization.”

Now, he’s under contract with the Niners through the 2022 season.

POLL: Who’s The Best Free Agent Safety?

March 8th, 2020 at 5:12pm CST by Marc Delucchi

As free agency inches closer, we’ll continue previewing the impending market. One of the most interesting comparisons surrounds the safety position.

Anthony Harris and Justin Simmons are the consensus top two options at the position, but determining which should is the best option for a team in need of a new safety is a more difficult proposition. Harris, has been an established and proven veteran, while Simmons jumped to the top of the pack this year.

Harris, at 28, has ranked among the league’s best safeties in his time with the Vikings. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Harris ranked among the five best-graded safeties in both 2018 and 2019. Over the past two seasons, he’s nabbed 9 interceptions, recorded 17 passes defended, and 106 tackles.

While Simmons does not have the longevity and track record of Harris, the Bronco graded as the 2nd best safety this season, per PFF, receiving a 90.8 grade. Simmons recorded 4 interceptions, 15 passes defended, and 93 tackles this season alone, but never graded above 80.0 prior to this season.

Most compelling to his case, at just 26 years old, Simmons could be poised to be one of the best centerfielders in football, but will teams want to gamble on that over Harris’ proven track record?

There are a number of other solid options at safety including Jimmie Ward and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, but neither combine the health history and top end recent performance of Harris and Simmons.

Which safety do you prefer? Let us know in the poll below.

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