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Jimmie Ward has played numerous positions in the San Francisco 49ers defensive backfield. He'll be making yet another adjustment this offseason as the coaching staff looks to move him back to cornerback. Ward confirmed on Monday that he will begin OTAs as a cornerback after playing safety in 2017.
Ward learned of the move back in January. Beyond OTAs, he's not really sure what his permanent position will be. That could be decided based on how the team's draft turns out.
Ward played cornerback with the 49ers in 2016 under head coach Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil. Of course, the defensive scheme the 49ers have in place now is vastly different from his last go at the position.
"Totally different," Ward said. "Now, it's a zone scheme in this defense. I can read the quarterback a lot and compared to back then, it was more zero coverage, man free."
Ward isn't frustrated by constantly being moved from position to position. With the 49ers, he has played safety, outside corner, and the slot position.
"I kind of want to catch a pick at all three positions," Ward said. "I like it. I always dreamed coming in as a college kid, I was just a safety, and I played nickel. I never thought I was going to be playing corner in the NFL. Normally, you play corner when you're young, and if it doesn't work out, you move to safety. But I was able to move from safety to corner. There's not many guys that's doing that in the NFL."
Last month, 49ers general manager John Lynch
discussed the decision to try Ward at cornerback.
"We went back and studied some of his outside corner film, and we feel like it's actually a pretty good fit," Lynch said. "Jimmie's versatility is often talked about [...] Part of the plan is to stick him over there at outside corner and see what we have there and, I think, to give him some time during the offseason.
"We know he can play safety. He has played nickel before, but I think it would be a tremendous boost to our depth if we found out Jimmie is actually is a really good fit for us."
Of course, Lynch added that the decision to test Ward at cornerback does not rule him out as a safety.
According to Damond Talbot of NFL Draft Diamonds, the San Francisco 49ers are hosting former Iowa tight end Erick All on a pre-draft visit.
"Erick All is a beast on the field, I would not be shocked to see a team like the Niners draft him and beat teams with him like they do with [TE George] Kittle week in and week out," Talbot wrote.
STOP SLEEPING ON Erick All! | Former Iowa Tight End has had 6 Top-30 visits https://t.co/BdgyvUeUps All has Top-30 visits with the
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
