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Jimmie Ward

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Not to be confused with Jimmy Ward.

Jimmie Ward
refer to caption
Ward with the San Francisco 49ers in 2015
No. 20 – Houston Texans
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1991-07-18) July 18, 1991 (age 33)
Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:193 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Davidson (Mobile, Alabama)
College:Northern Illinois (2010–2013)
NFL draft:2014 / round: 1 / pick: 30
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Third-team All-American (2013)
  • 2× First-team All-MAC (2012, 2013)
  • Third-team All-MAC (2011)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:501
Sacks:3.0
Pass deflections:47
Interceptions:8
Forced fumbles:6
Fumble recoveries:2
Defensive touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

James Ward (born July 18, 1991) is an American professional football safety[1] for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northern Illinois, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Early life

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Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Ward attended Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama. He led the Warriors in tackles as a senior with 101 tackles, 73 solo, as Davidson went 10–3 and advanced to the state quarterfinals, while earning team Defensive MVP honors. Ward also recorded eight pass break-ups, an interception, forced two fumbles and recovered three. He added three blocked kicks and three quarterback sacks. As a junior, Ward made 93 tackles, broke up seven passes and intercepted five. He also caused a pair of fumbles and blocked two kicks. He is the cousin of former NBA player Caron Butler.

Ward was considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com.[2]

College career

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Ward attended Northern Illinois University from 2010 to 2013. In 2010, Ward played in all 14 games as a true freshman and blocked a school-record three punts on the year. He also recorded 21 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break up, and was named the Huskies Special Teams Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. In 2011, he appeared in all 14 games, and started 12. He was named a third-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) selection after recording a career-high 100 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. In 2012, he led the Huskies with 104 tackles, including a career game high 14 against Florida State in the Orange Bowl. He also recorded three interceptions while starting 13 games, earning himself first-team All-MAC honors. In 2013, he led the Huskies in tackles (95), interceptions (7) and pass deflections (12), while earning national recognition as a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.[3] He also earned first-team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive season.

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Coming out of Northern Illinois, Ward was projected to be a first or second round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL combine as a top defensive back prospect, but was unable to participate in any physical running or jumping drills after discovering a stress fracture in his foot on the eve of the combine. On March 7, 2014, he opted to participate at Northern Illinois' pro day even though he was still injured and performed all of the combine drills except for the bench press. Scouts and team representatives from 30 NFL teams attended Northern Illinois' pro day as Ward, Jordan Lynch, and five other teammates worked out. Ward attended five private workouts with teams, that included the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings.[4] He was ranked the top strong safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and was ranked the third best safety prospect by NFL analyst Mike Mayock and Sports Illustrated.[5][6][7]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
5 ft 10+5⁄8 in
(1.79 m) 		193 lb
(88 kg) 		31 in
(0.79 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.47 s 1.56 s 2.54 s 4.24 s 6.89 s 38 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)		 9 reps 17
All values from NFL Combine/Northern Illinois' Pro Day[8][9]

San Francisco 49ers

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2014

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See also: 2014 San Francisco 49ers season

The San Francisco 49ers selected Ward in the first round (30th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.[10] He was the third safety selected behind Calvin Pryor (18th overall, New York Jets) and HaHa Clinton-Dix (21st overall, Green Bay Packers).[11] On May 22, 2014, the 49ers signed Ward to a four-year, $7.11 million contract with $5.30 million guarantee and a signing bonus of $3.49 million.[12]

Ward competed with Antoine Bethea and Craig Dahl throughout training camp for the starting strong safety position. Head coach Jim Harbaugh named Antoine Bethea the starting strong safety to begin the season and named Ward the backup free safety to Eric Reid. He was also tasked with nickel cornerback duties.[13]

Ward made his NFL debut in the season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys and made one tackle during their 28–17 road victory. In the next game, he collected a season-high four solo tackles in a 28–20 loss to the Chicago Bears. The following week against the Arizona Cardinals, Ward recorded two solo tackles and a season-high two pass deflections in a 23–14 loss.[14] He was unable to play during a Week 7 road loss to the Denver Broncos due to a quad injury. On November 9, 2014, he recorded two combined tackles during a 27–24 road victory over the New Orleans Saints. He suffered a foot injury during the game and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of his rookie season.[15]

Ward finished his rookie year with 20 combined tackles (19 solo) and two pass deflections in eight games.

2015

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See also: 2015 San Francisco 49ers season

Ward returned to the 49ers and was again named the backup free safety to Eric Reid under new head coach Jim Tomsula.

Ward made his first NFL start during the season-opener against the Vikings and recorded a tackle in a 20–3 victory. During Week 5, he had eight combined tackles during a 30–27 road loss to the New York Giants. During Week 13, Ward made two combined tackles, deflected a pass, and his first career interception off of a pass attempt by Jay Cutler during a 26–20 road victory over the Bears. He also scored his first NFL touchdown during the game, after he returned his interception for 29-yards. Two weeks later against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ward made six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first NFL sack on Andy Dalton as the 49ers lost 24–14.[14] On January 3, 2016, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles and defended a pass in a 19–16 overtime win over the St. Louis Rams.

Ward finished his second season with career-high 57 combined tackles (48 solo), six pass deflections, a sack, an interception, and a touchdown in 16 games and eight started.

2016

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See also: 2016 San Francisco 49ers season

Throughout his first two seasons, Ward was a backup free safety and was tasked with covering the slot. Head coach Chip Kelly was hired to replace Tomsula after the 49ers finished with a 5–11 record the previous season. In training camp, Ward was converted to a full-time cornerback and competed Kenneth Acker, Dontae Johnson, and Chris Davis for the job as the starting cornerback.[16] Ward was named the starting cornerback, opposite Tramaine Brock, to begin the 2016 season.[17]

Ward started the season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams and collected three solo tackles and two pass deflections during a 28–0 shutout victory. Two weeks later against the Seattle Seahawks, he made a tackle and defended a pass during an 37–18 road loss. Unfortunately, Ward suffered a quad injury during a special teams play and was unable to play from Weeks 4–6.[18] During Week 10, Ward made seven solo tackles and a season-high four pass deflections, as the 49ers lost to the Cardinals on the road by a score of 23–20. During Week 14 against the Jets, Ward had a career game as he recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles, deflected three passes, intercepted a pass attempt from quarterback Bryce Petty, and had his first sack of the season in the 23–17 overtime loss.[19] In the next game, Ward recorded two solo tackles during a 41–13 road loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He left the game after suffering a fractured clavicle.[20] On December 20, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.[21]

Ward finished his third season with a total of 53 combined tackles (43 solo), a career-high 12 pass deflections, a sack, and an interception in 11 games and 10 starts. Kelly was fired after posting a 2–14 season in 2016.[14]

2017

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See also: 2017 San Francisco 49ers season

On May 1, 2017, the 49ers picked up the fifth-year option on Ward's rookie contract, paying him a salary of $8.52 million for the 2018 season.[22] At the beginning of training camp, new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh installed a cover 3 base defense and opted to move Ward back to his original position of free safety. This was his third different position in four seasons and his fourth head coach and defensive coordinator in that same span.[23] Head coach Kyle Shanahan named Ward the starting free safety to begin the regular season. Ward suffered a hamstring injury and was unable to play in the season-opener against the Carolina Panthers and was replaced by Jaquiski Tartt.[24]

On September 17, 2017, Ward made his season debut and recorded five combined tackles and deflected a pass in a 12–9 road loss to the Seahawks. The following week, he made his first start as a free safety and collected a season-high seven solo tackles during a narrow 41–39 loss to the Rams. During Week 8, Ward made three combined tackles in a 33–10 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He left the game after suffering a fractured forearm.[25] On November 1, 2017, Ward was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.[26]

Ward finished the 2017 season with a total of 32 combined tackles (27 solo) and a pass deflection in six starts and seven games.[14] Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 46.9, ranking him 77th among all qualified safeties in 2017.[27]

2018–2022

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In 2018, Ward played in nine games with seven starts, recording 24 tackles and a forced fumble. During a Week 12 27–9 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ward suffered a broken forearm.[28] He was placed on injured reserve on November 27, 2018.[29]

Ward (55) with the 49ers in 2019

On March 13, 2019, Ward signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract extension with the 49ers.[30] In Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs, Ward recorded a team high 11 tackles during the 31–20 loss.[31]

On March 24, 2020, Ward signed a three-year, $28.5 million contract extension with the 49ers.[32] In Week 12 against the Rams, Ward forced fumbles on Jared Goff and Malcolm Brown that were both recovered by the 49ers during the 23–20 win.[33]

In the divisional round against the Packers in 2021, Ward blocked a 39-yard field goal attempted by the Packers kicker, Mason Crosby.[34] This was also the first season since 2016 in which Ward intercepted a pass.

On August 31, 2022, Ward was placed on injured reserve.[35] He was activated on October 8.[36] Ward was moved to nickel cornerback with the emerging play of safety Tashaun Gipson.[37]

Houston Texans

[edit]

On March 18, 2023, Ward signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans.[38] He was named a team captain ahead of the 2023 season.[39]

Ward missed the first two games of the 2023 season due to a hip injury.[40] He returned to practice ahead of the Week 3 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars[41] that the Texans won 37–17.[42] In Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers he forced a fumble against George Pickens in the 30–6 win.[43] Later in the season, after missing a further 3 games due to a hamstring injury, Ward returned for Week 13 against the Broncos where he recorded an interception with 20 seconds remaining to secure a 22–17 victory.[44] The Texans placed him on injured reserve on December 26, 2023.[45]

On August 19, 2024, Ward signed a one-year contract extension with the Texans.[46]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds TD FF FR Yds TD
2014 SF 8 0 20 19 1 — 2 — — — — — — —
2015 SF 16 8 57 48 9 1.0 6 1 29 1 — — — —
2016 SF 11 10 53 43 10 1.0 12 1 8 — 1 1 — —
2017 SF 7 6 32 27 5 — 1 — — — — 1 43 —
2018 SF 9 7 24 19 5 — — — — — 1 — — —
2019 SF 13 13 64 51 14 1.0 8 — — — — — — —
2020 SF 14 14 73 45 28 — 4 — — — 2 — — —
2021 SF 16 16 77 51 26 — 6 2 27 1 — — — —
2022 SF 12 5 50 38 12 — 5 3 — — 1 — — —
2023 HOU 9 9 49 32 17 — 3 1 — — 1 — — —
Career 115 88 500 373 127 3.0 47 8 64 2 6 2 43 —

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg FF FR Yds TD
2019 SF 3 3 19 14 5 — — — — — 1 — — —
2021 SF 3 3 15 10 5 — 1 1 23 — — — — —
2022 SF 3 0 13 12 1 — 3 — — — — — — —
Career 9 6 47 36 11 — 4 1 23 — 1 — — —

References

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  1. ^ Parks, Rory (April 2, 2023). "Texans To Play Jimmie Ward At Safety". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Jimmie Ward - Yahoo Sports". Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  3. ^ "NIU's Jordan Lynch, Jimmie Ward are AP All-Americans". Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Dan Wiederer (March 7, 2014). "Jimmie Ward impresses NFL scouts at Northern Illinois pro day". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  5. ^ "Jimmie Ward, DS #2 SS, Northern Illinois". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Mike Mayock (March 14, 2014). "Mike Mayock's updated position rankings for 2014 NFL Draft". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "Top 100 prospects for 2014 NFL draft". si.com. May 1, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  8. ^ "Jimmie Ward Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  9. ^ "2014 Draft Scout Jimmie Ward, Northern Illinois NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  10. ^ "49ers pick Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois with no trade up". Archived from the original on May 11, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  11. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Spotrac.com: Jimmie Ward contract". spotrac.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  13. ^ "Ourlads.com: San Francisco 49ers depth chart: 10/01/2014". ourlads.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  14. ^ a b c d "NFL Player Profile: Jimmie Ward". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  15. ^ Mike Chiari (November 15, 2014). "Jimmie Ward Injury: Updates on 49ers DB's Foot and Recovery". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Ourlad.com: San Francisco 49ers' depth chart: 08/01/2016". ourlads.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  17. ^ Rotowire.com (August 23, 2016). "49ers' Jimmie Ward: Solidifying role as starting CB". cbssports.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  18. ^ Rob Goldberg (September 25, 2016). "Jimmie Ward Injury: Updates on 49ers CB's Quad and Return". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 14-2016: New York Jets @ San Francisco 49ers". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  20. ^ Chris Biderman (December 21, 2016). "49ers face long-term questions about Jimmie Ward's durability". ninerswire.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  21. ^ "49ers Place DB Jimmie Ward on IR, Announce Additional Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 20, 2016. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  22. ^ "49ers Exercise Fifth-year Option on DB Jimmie Ward". 49ers.com. May 1, 2017. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  23. ^ Cam Inman (August 24, 2017). "49ers Jimmie Ward back at his 'natural position". Mercurynews.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  24. ^ James Brady (September 9, 2017). "49ers-Panthers: The case for both Lorenzo Jerome and Jaquiski Tartt to fill Jimmie Ward's spot". ninersnation.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  25. ^ David Fucillo (October 29, 2017). "Jimmie Ward suffers fractured arm in 49ers loss to Eagles". ninersnation.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  26. ^ "49ers Announce Several Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 1, 2017. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018.
  27. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Jimmie Ward". ProFootballFocus.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  28. ^ Wagoner, Nick (November 25, 2018). "49ers safety Jimmie Ward breaks forearm again". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  29. ^ "49ers Announce Several Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 27, 2018. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  30. ^ "San Francisco 49ers re-sign Jimmie Ward, per report". 247Sports.com. March 13, 2019. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  31. ^ "Mahomes leads Chiefs' rally past 49ers in Super Bowl, 31-20". ESPN. Associated Press. February 2, 2020. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  32. ^ Crabtree, Curtis (March 17, 2020). "Reports: Jimmie Ward agrees to three-year, $28.5 million deal with 49ers". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  33. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams - November 29th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  34. ^ "49ers vs. Packers - Play-By-Play - January 22, 2022 - ESPN". Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  35. ^ "49ers Move Two to IR; Waive RB; Announce Practice Squad and Other Moves". 49ers.com. August 31, 2022. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  36. ^ "49ers Activate Ward; Place McKivitz on IR and Other Roster Moves". 49ers.com. October 8, 2022. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  37. ^ "Ward's versatility at safety, nickel corner 'huge' for 49ers". December 17, 2022. Archived from the original on December 27, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  38. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (3-18-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. Houston Texans Public Relations. March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  39. ^ Dougherty, Drew (September 4, 2023). "Texans name four 2023 team captains". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  40. ^ "2023 Houston Texans Injuries". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  41. ^ Sidhu, Deepi (September 20, 2023). "Laremy Tunsil, Jimmie Ward return to practice". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  42. ^ Sidhu, Deepi (September 25, 2023). "Jimmie Ward's impact in long-awaited Texans debut". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  43. ^ Sidhu, Deepi (October 2, 2023). "Dynamic safety duo Jalen Pitre, Jimmie Ward start first game together, force a pair of fumbles in a win". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  44. ^ Koch, Josh (December 3, 2023). "Jimmie Ward seal victory with Interception". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  45. ^ Houston Texans Public Relations (December 26, 2023). "Houston Texans Transactions (12-26-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  46. ^ Thompson, Cole (August 19, 2024). "Texans extend DB Jimmie Ward through 2025 season". Texans Wire. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
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