The San Francisco 49ers coaching staff has not come out and said that free safety Jimmie Ward will not play on Sunday when the team hosts the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium. However, Ward continues to be limited in practices this week with the hamstring injury that caused him to miss all of training camp.
In defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's new scheme, Ward was to be the unit's single-high safety with strong safety Eric Reid roaming closer to the line of scrimmage in run support. It's looking increasingly likely that Ward will not be healthy enough to play that role when the 49ers and Panthers kick off.
Jaquiski Tartt and rookie Lorenzo Jerome eagerly look to fill that role if Ward cannot go. The coaches are still evaluating Tartt and Jerome to see who would be the best substitute if needed.
"Both those guys will be competing," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday. "They've got three days to do it. Depends how we use them, what packages. I'll probably have a better answer for you on Sunday."
There was nothing new to report on Thursday. Saleh told the media the team is "still working through it." The decision on who will line up at free safety could drag all the way until game day.
As for Tartt and Jerome, Saleh believes the two got enough work during organized team activities (OTAs) and training camp to get ready to face the Carolina offense.
"They're all really prepared," Saleh said. "[Defensive backs coach Jeff] Hafley does an unbelievable job preparing his guys and with our defense just because we are so in tune to making sure players are fresh. Everyone's got to know more than one position anyway so, throughout OTAs and training camp, they've been well prepared by their position coaches."
Jerome has been an offseason standout for the 49ers. He has garnered praise from the media and even general manager John Lynch, a former great safety himself
who compared the rookie to Ronde Barber.
On Thursday morning, Matt Maiocco of
NBC Sports Bay Area joined KNBR and shared his concerns about having Jerome fill in for Ward at the free safety spot.
"As well as Lorenzo Jerome played during the exhibition season, if he's back there, I think they're vulnerable because he can kind of get out of position at times," Maiocco said. "He can bite. He can kind of think he's playing back at St. Francis where he's the best player on the field. He can jump routes and do all these things and freelance a little bit and make plays, but if he tries to do that on Sunday, if he's back there, he could be chasing somebody into the end zone."
Saleh was asked how Jerome has progressed in that aspect as the team prepares for Week 1 and an offense that, just two years ago, ranked as the top scoring offense in the league.
"His vision is expanding so he's starting to see more," Saleh said. "The more they see, the more calculated they can be. And so, with that, that's what he's starting to get better at. When you watch a guy like Earl Thomas, one play you're like, 'How did he -- he can't do that.' Then the next play he's playing the middle third and you're like, 'How does he--?' He just knows. When it's run, he's two yards in the backfield. When it's pass, he's 25 yards back playing the third. They just get to a point when they've got great play recognition. They see the big picture and they can react much faster. That's where he's getting better."
The 49ers have team practices on Thursday, Friday, and then a walk-through on Saturday. The coaching staff will likely have a good idea of Ward's status by Friday so it will be interesting to see how he is listed on the 49ers' official injury report due out that day.
The San Francisco 49ers appear to have found their quarterback. It was a bumpy road on the journey to locate him, too. There was the up-and-down tenure of Jimmy Garoppolo, whose relationship with Head Coach Kyle Shanahan seemed dysfunctional, at times. Then there was the short-lived Trey Lance experiment.
Garoppolo and Lance are no longer being with the team, and one major reason is the emergence of Brock Purdy as the team's QB. Purdy finished his second season with a trip to the Super Bowl, after having a Pro Bowl season in which he finished with 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also led the league in multiple statistics, including passer rating (113.0) and QBR (72.8). Additionally, Purdy finished fourth in NFL MVP voting.
But a year ago, no one knew what to
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
