Former starters in mix for 49ers
Injuries giving Witherspoon, Colbert chance
They are 49ers defensive backs, 2017 draft picks and players who regressed in starting roles last year after enjoying eye-opening rookie seasons.
So it should be no surprise that the careers of cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon and free safety Adrian Colbert continue to unfold in oddly similar fashions with the team.
On Thursday, oft-injured free safety Jimmie Ward, who was poised to assume Colbert’s 2018 role as the season-opening starter, broke his collarbone in practice and will be sidelined until at least the start of training camp in late July.
Ward’s absence for the rest of the offseason program provides Colbert with an opportunity to reclaim his first-string spot.
Similarly, oft-injured cornerback Jason Verrett, whom the 49ers signed in March, is likely to start at right cornerback if he rebounds well from his latest injury and can stay healthy.
However, Verrett is still rehabbing from a torn Achilles he sustained last year and will be out until training camp.
His absence provides Witherspoon with a chance to show he’s recaptured his 2017 form. And he looked the part Tuesday with a strong performance in the first offseason practice open to the media.
Last year, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh indicated both Witherspoon and Colbert felt they’d arrived after their strong debut seasons made them first-stringers with little competition.
In 2018, Witherspoon, a third-round pick, was benched twice, recovered to play better late in the season but missed the final two games with a knee injury. Colbert, a seventhround pick, struggled early while dealing with a hip injury before his sevengame season ended due to a high ankle sprain.
Cornerback Richard Sherman said this week both young players’ mindsets played a role in their disappointing seasons.
“I think it was a humbling experience last year,” Sherman said. “This league humbles you. It exposes everything. You never got it. I’m nine years in, I get humbled. … I think they have a lot more respect for the way you approach this game, what it takes to play at a high level in this game to be successful day in and day out.
“You can’t take it for granted. You can’t think, ‘Hey, man, I played well last year so I’m going to play well this year.’ Each game you play is a different beast. And once you stop working, someone else is working.”
Colbert probably has the better chance to reclaim his starting spot, assuming Ward’s latest injury serves as a tipping point for the 49ers.
Ward has missed 29 games in his five NFL seasons, four of which he finished on injured reserve due to broken bones. The 49ers re-signed the former first-round pick in March, but his medical file was a reason he was given a oneyear deal with $3 million guaranteed, with another $1.5 million available in per-game roster bonuses.
The 49ers brought back Ward hoping he could stay healthy. However, after he sustained a serious injury while reportedly diving for a ball in their third offseason practice, it’s fair to wonder if Colbert and others will be given stronger starting consideration.
Witherspoon could have a more difficult time beating out Verrett. He’s a former first-round pick who went to the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2015, the lone season of his five-year career in which he’s played more than six games.
Verrett has missed 43 of 48 games the past three seasons due to injuries and considered retirement last year because of a torn Achilles.
“When he’s on the field, he’s one of the best corners in our game,” Sherman said of Verrett.
It’s possible Ward and Verrett both will recover well enough to serve as season-opening starters. Even so, their injury histories suggest both Colbert and Witherspoon will be needed at some point this season.
The 49ers hope they’ve learned from experience: After being humbled, they should be hungry. Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch