The 49ers have to re-sign Jimmie Ward this offseason, but that’s only step one of a two-step plan to revamp their secondary after a terrific season. Step two is putting Ward back at his natural free safety position.
A key aspect of this reset in the back end of the 49ers’ secondary is that Ward’s original move to slot corner was borne out of necessity. Once he returned from injury, Tashaun Gipson, also a free agent this offseason, had established himself as a capable free safety. Additionally, San Francisco had a need at nickel corner after Emmanuel Moseley’s injury in Week 5 forced nickel corner Deommodore Lenoir to play outside.
The best version of the 2022 49ers secondary was with the highly-versatile Ward playing in the slot with Gipson roaming around up top. That combo worked for the most part. San Francisco’s defense finished fifth in the NFL in passing touchdowns allowed and led the NFL in interceptions this season. Gipson led the team with five interceptions while Ward hauled in a career-high three as a slot corner.
There was one area the 49ers struggled with Ward consistently near the line of scrimmage and the less rangy Gipson up top. They struggled to stop deep passes, which is a key reason why Ward needs to return at his natural position.
In 2019 and 2021 when the 49ers made deep playoff runs and had top 10 defenses, they allowed 25 completions of 30-plus yards in games Ward played at free safety. Four of those went for touchdowns. This year alone they allowed 16 such completions for six touchdowns.
It’s worth noting that a slew of factors go into a deep completion, and not all of them can be erased by a deep safety with good range. While they’re not a perfect encapsulation of Ward’s importance to the 49ers’ defense, the deep passing stats are certainly a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to determining his value as a free safety. San Francisco’s ability to snuff out big plays was part of why they were so successful in years past. This season it was a weakness teams frequently tried to exploit.
Re-signing Ward also comes down to positional need and what the 49ers have on their roster at the position. Ward is a free agent. So is Gipson, who started all 17 games plus the playoffs for San Francisco last season. Tarvarius Moore, who looked to be in line for a starting safety job before his Achilles injury in 2021, is also a free agent. Barring extensions, the 49ers will only have Talanoa Hufanga and special teams ace George Odum under contract when the offseason begins.
Ward is also a leader on the 49ers’ defense as their longest-tenured player. The 2014 second-round pick is an excellent safety who has the versatility and coverage skills to work as a dynamic chess piece for new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Ward sliding down to the slot where he can cover and tackle effectively should be a wrinkle, not a feature.
It might take a bit of an overpay to keep Ward in the building, but it’s an investment the 49ers would be smart to make. Replacing him won’t be easy, and San Francisco – with no picks until late in the third round and not much money to throw around in free agency – won’t have many avenues to finding an adequate replacement at free safety.
