49ers DB Ward suffers broken collar bone
SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers had less than a week of practices during the second phase of the offseason program and injuries are already dominating the headlines.
Jimmie Ward, who worked with the starters at free safeties during Tuesday’s practice open to reporters, suffered a broken collar bone while diving for a ball Thursday, the team confirmed, which came minutes after the club announced No. 2 draft pick Nick Bosa would be sidelined for “a few weeks” due to a Grade 1 hamstring strain.
A 49ers spokesman said the expected recovery time for Ward is eight to 12 weeks, which leaves the possibility of a return for the start of training camp in late July and his availability for the season opener Sept. 8 in Tampa Bay.
Ward’s injury means the team will likely turn to third-year pro Adrian Colbert for the remainder of the offseason program. Colbert started 12 games the past two seasons after getting taken in the seventh round of the 2017 draft to play cornerback and special teams. Colbert switched to free safety during his first training camp and performed well, eventually replacing Ward after he sustained a fractured forearm midway through the season.
Ward replaced Colbert at free safety last season when Colbert’s season ended because of a high ankle sprain suffered in a blowout loss to the Rams in October.
The 49ers in March re-signed Ward to a modest one-year, $4.5 million deal despite ending four of his five seasons with San Francisco on injured reserve with fractured bones, including a broken collar bone in 2016. He fractured his forearm in consecutive seasons in 2017 and 2018. He missed half his rookie campaign in 2014 when he re-broke his foot, the same injury suffered before he was made a first-round draft pick by former general manager Trent Baalke. Ward’s second season in 2015 was the only campaign in which he didn’t miss a game.
The decision to bring back Ward, and rely on him as a key member of the defense, was controversial. The 49ers were believed to be an obvious landing spot
for one of the prominent free safeties on the free agent market, such as Earl Thomas or Tyrann Mathieu. They enter the 2019 season with nearly $35 million in cap space, according to NFLPA documents, which is among the most in the NFL. Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens and Mathieu landed in Kansas City.
General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan passed on landing a costly veteran, instead opting to bring back Ward despite his lengthy history of broken bones.
Said Shanahan and the scouting combine in February: “I love Jimmie Ward. I really hope to have him back. We all know he struggled a little bit to stay healthy. But he’s a guy, as a person, that I’ll go to war with any day, I really trust, I really believe in. I hope it works out that we can get him back.”