Jimmie Ward Injury: Hamstring Strain Likely To Keep Safety Out Beyond 4 Games

San Francisco 49ers free safety Jimmie Ward will likely start the season on IR and miss the first four games with a hamstring injury, general manager John Lynch said Thursday.

Ward has a Grade 3 hamstring strain, as reported by Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Ward suffered the injury during practice on Aug. 14 and given the severity of the injury, Ward would be fortunate to miss just four games, according to the Pro Football Docs.

The recovery timeline for a safety with that severe of a hamstring injury is typically 8-12 weeks. That puts his earliest likely return date at Week 6, with the far end of that timeline at a Week 10 return following the 49ers’ Week 9 bye.

The Pro Football Docs hope Ward isn’t at the far end of that timeline, but it’s not out of the question for a position that requires a fully healthy hamstring for acceleration.

Ward started 16 games at free safety last season, finishing with 77 combined tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 passes defended.

49ers Secondary Depth

On Monday, San Francisco signed veteran safety Tashaun Gipson, who has over 130 career starts.

George Odum, a fifth-year special teams specialist, has been practicing with the first-stringers recently and will likely get the first shot at the starting job.

Dontae Johnson, who recently returned to practice after suffering fractured rib cartilage early in camp, is another option to replace Ward. He’s also listed as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart.

Charvarius Ward, the 49ers’ top cornerback signing, has been out of practice with a groin strain the past two weeks, but will return to practice next week, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The 49ers open their schedule against the Bears in Chicago Week 1.

49ers Super Bowl LVII Odds

San Francisco is +1600 to win the Super Bowl and +175 to win the NFC West, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The 49ers over/under for win total is 9.5.