After being out of action all preseason with a hamstring injury, Jimmie Ward was taken off the physically-unable-to-perform list last week and rejoined the 49ers in practice for the first time the beginning of training camp. On Sunday night before the team’s third preseason game, Ward was worried his time off the injury report might be short lived.
Ward believed he re-aggravated his tweaked hamstring during warm-ups. It turned out, however, that what Ward was feeling was actually the stretching of scar tissue, a good thing according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“I heard it was good news,” Shanahan told reporters after the 49ers’ 32-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the third exhibition game. “He pulled some scar tissues. in that case, it’s a good thing and not a bad thing.
“You have to break that scar tissue up. Sometimes it can be a little scary and not feel like it’s a good thing. It feels like you’re re-pulling it. He was worried about that, but after getting in here, he was very happy and excited about what happened out there.”
Ward, 26, is not expected to participate in the 49ers’ final preseason game this Thursday, but is expected to play a crucial role in the 49ers’ defense this season, as the starting single high safety in defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s Seattle-esque scheme. The 49ers are hopeful that Ward will be ready to take the field in the team’s regular season opener against the Panthers on Sept. 10.
Ward has played mostly as a slot corner during his three-year career, but played both corner and safety at Northern Illinois. Ward graded as a league average corner by Pro Football Focus last season.