49ers safety Jimmie Ward suffered a fractured collarbone while diving for a ball during Thursday’s organized team activities, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). However, he should be able to return near the start of training camp, tweets Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Ward, a first-round pick in 2014, is no stranger to injury. As Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes (Twitter links), Ward finished the season on injured reserve in four of his first five NFL campaigns. He’s also broken his collarbone in the past, doing so in 2016.
The 27-year-old Ward has played all over the 49ers’ secondary, dabbling at both slot and outside corner in addition to playing safety. He was expected to compete with Adrian Colbert for free safety duties this offseason, but given that he’ll likely miss most if not all or training camp, Ward will be far behind in that positional battle.
Ward re-signed with the 49ers in March, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM. However, roughly $1.5MM of that total, plus another $500K in incentives, is tied to Ward being on the field, so his most recent injury could affect his earnings if he suffers a setback.
I don’t mean to make fun of someone getting hurt. I feel for him and I hope he recovers fully and I feel bad this happened to him. But…is this guy made of glass? This is ridiculous! I really hope they don’t bring him back next year, was ready to move on this year because of this exact reason, he can’t stay in the field and it’s extremely frustrating to watch him get paid to constantly be on the sidelines hurt. I know that may seem harsh but I expected another injury at some point this year but didn’t see it coming before the season even started. Get well soon, Jimmy. But please, 49ers, move on.
I can’t imagine what kind of spell Ward has cast over ShanaLynch but keeping an injury plagued player wastes a desperately needed DB roster spot. How many years must this go on? Break the ugly spell and get on with really improving the team!