Why Jimmie Ward Has Everything to Prove in San Francisco 49ers Training Camp

Jimmie Ward had practically nothing to prove when the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the first round of the 2014 draft.

The Niners’ previous starting slot cornerback, Carlos Rogers, had signed with the Oakland Raiders during free agency, and the Niners didn’t have a replacement for him. So when the Niners took Ward in Round 1, it was clear he was Rogers’ replacement. Ward had no competition.

“We believe (Ward) will compete as a nickel for us as well, which is a very important position,” said head coach Jim Harbaugh shortly after Ward was drafted, according to Taylor Price of 49ers.com. “He’s a good hitter, but he also makes plays on the ball. He’s extremely fast and has great instincts.”

Ward indeed is a good hitter, missing zero tackles in 270 snaps his rookie season, according to Pro Football Focus.

But he didn’t make many plays on the ball. Opposing quarterbacks targeted his coverage 25 times, and Ward broke up only two pass attempts while allowing 18 completions and four touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus.

Ward wasn’t able to show the great instincts Harbaugh talked about because Ward mostly played man coverage. Instincts are much more helpful in zone coverage when a defensive back can read route combinations, watch the quarterback and anticipate the direction of the pass.

That’s what Ward did in college, and he did it well. He was a roving safety, someone who made plays based on instincts and athletic ability, not man-coverage techniques.

Man coverage—the ability to trail a receiver and mirror his movements—is Ward’s biggest weakness. Which is a shame, because it’s the primary skill a slot cornerback needs to have. Ward seemed lost in man coverage as a rookie.

Ward could not work to improve his biggest weakness earlier this offseason. He missed OTAs and minicamp rehabbing a foot he re-broke last November. He initially broke the foot before the draft.

In Ward’s absence, the 49ers gave second-year cornerback Keith Reaser most of the reps at slot cornerback during team drills. And Reaser was fantastic, giving up only one catch, breaking up two passes and intercepting two more during six practices in front of the media.

On the final day of minicamp, both Reaser and Tramaine Brock, the Niners’ No. 1 cornerback who missed most of the offseason due to a hamstring injury, took reps at slot cornerback. Brock and Reaser excel in man coverage, unlike Ward.

According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, “There has been talk that [Brock] will follow the opponent’s best receiver all over the field. He may also follow if that receiver moves inside to the slot position.”

That would be bad news for Ward, who cannot play outside cornerback. He is a middle-of-the-field player, a safety and a slot guy. If Brock covers the slot receiver in the Niners’ nickel defense, Ward will have to go to the bench.

Reaser can play outside or in the slot, so if he wins the nickel cornerback job, he can move outside if Brock wants to move inside and vice versa. Reaser gives the Niners more versatility in the secondary than Ward.  

For Ward to hold on to his job as the starting nickel cornerback, he has to dominate during training camp and preseason, he has to show he has improved in man coverage and he has to show he is the team's best slot corner.

Otherwise, the Niners may have to bench him. In Week 2, they play the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose No. 1 wide receiver, Antonio Brown, tends to line up in the slot. Can Ward cover him?

If not, the Niners will have no choice but to bench him and play Brock, the team's No. 1 corner, in the slot.

Ward has everything to prove this year.

All quotations and practice observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow @grantcohn.