49ers roster analysis: What will San Francisco do with Jimmie Ward? Who is available?

This is the fourth of a nine-part series breaking down each position on the 49ers roster before the start of free agency begins March 18. Here, we’ll take a look at safety.

The 49ers allowed the second-highest passer rating to opposing quarterbacks in 2018. Only the Raiders allowed more touchdown throws while San Francisco set an NFL record for fewest interceptions with just two. If Jimmy Garoppolo’s absence was the biggest reason for San Francisco’s 4-12 finish, the passing defense was a very close second.

So it was fair to ask before last season, how would the defense improve against the pass after not making any significant personnel changes to the secondary, including at safety?

The answer had to do with massive improvements in the pass rush (see: Bosa, Nick and Ford, Dee), better coaching (Joe Woods, now the Browns defensive coordinator, was the passing game coordinator for one season) and continuity (the 49ers had eight different combinations of safeties throughout 2018).

San Francisco went from arguably the worst pass defense in the league to the best, allowing 169.2 yards per game, the fewest by any team since the New York Jets in 2009.

Now the team faces the difficult task of trying to replicate that success while defensive production, year over year, can be volatile. Put another way, it’s not guarantee the 49ers are going to have the league’s best defense again in 2020, especially with all the moving parts that could be coming this offseason.

Let’s take a look.

What happened in 2019

The 49ers finally settled on a position for Jimmie Ward.

The 2014 first-round draft pick, who dealt with a slew of injuries throughout his career, had changed positions almost annually. He began as a slot corner, moved to outside cornerback under Chip Kelly in 2016, saw a few reps at safety, went back to cornerback in 2018, and finally stuck at free safety in 2019. It’s no surprise he had the best season of his career.

Ward started 13 games after a hand injury in August caused him to miss the first three weeks. He was solid once he took his starting job from second-year pro Tarvarius Moore, earning status as a Pro Bowl alternate thanks to his work as the “eraser” tabbed with making up for mistakes by players elsewhere.

Paired with childhood friend Jaquiski Tartt, the athletic strong safety, the 49ers quietly had one of the better combinations in the NFL after constantly shuffling at the position a year prior. Ward broke up eight passes, though he didn’t record an interception. But he was rarely tested over the top while the 49ers were tied with the Bills for the fewest big passing plays allowed during the regular season.

There was a significant drop off from Tartt to Marcell Harris in December after Tartt sustained a rib injury. Harris, a sixth-round draft pick in 2018, allowed a 135.8 passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus.

Tartt’s skill set allowed San Francisco to be more versatile on the back end of their defense. Instead of having one safety deep, which made the defense more predictable and easier to read, the 49ers switched things up under Woods, who created more pre-snap disguises than the team had in previous seasons. That confusion, paired with the drastically improved pass rush, helped the 49ers’ allowed passer rating to go from 31st in the league to seventh. Their 12 interceptions were six times the two they had in 2018.

Changes looming

The second-biggest question in free agency facing the defense this season is the future of Ward (defensive lineman Arik Armstead tops the list).

Ward is slated for unrestricted free agency coming off the best season of his career. He has said the only position he will play moving forward is free safety after shuffling positions for years. He can sign with any team beginning March 18 at the start of the new league year (the legal tampering period is two days prior).

But the safety market has been volatile in recent seasons. Heading into 2018, many safeties had to wait until late in the offseason to sign with new teams.

Last offseason, Earl Thomas, Tyrann Mathieu, LaMarcus Joyner, Kareem Jackson and Landon Collins all signed for deals worth more than $10 million annually with over $20 million in true guarantees.

Ward’s injury history suggests he won’t set a market-setting contract. He ended four of his six seasons on injured reserve and hasn’t had an interception since 2016. But his production and talent level could make him a bargain for the right team, including the 49ers, if he plays like he did in 2019.

If Ward leaves, Moore would be given a chance to start after showing promise throughout last offseason and training camp while Ward was working back from a fractured collar bone. Moore switched from cornerback to safety after playing there in college and acclimated quickly. The team could also consider bringing in another safety through free agency or the draft. Tartt is unsigned beyond the coming season.

How pressing is the need?

The 49ers could hold off on investing premium resources in the position if Ward returns.

If Ward is gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see San Francisco address the position early in the draft or with a veteran starter through free agency. It’s one of the most important positions in the secondary and coordinator Robert Saleh won’t be in a position to groom a talent there. The championship window is open now.

It could hinge on how the team views Moore, who was decent, albeit inconsistent, during his three games filling in for Ward.

Moore is one of the fastest players on San Francisco’s roster and is less of an injury risk than Ward. Plus he’s coming off a solid performance in the Super Bowl, in which he made a third-down pass breakup and interception of Patrick Mahomes in the red zone. He was also flagged for a pass interference of Travis Kelce that led to a crucial touchdown.

Why was Moore getting so much playing time in the Super Bowl? The 49ers’ third-down package involved having Ward match up with Kansas City’s best weapons in man-to-man coverage, which isn’t something Moore can do yet, which is another reason Ward is valuable and would be hard to replace should he leave.

The question becomes, what is Ward’s asking price, and will San Francisco have the cap space to meet it given the pending free agency of Armstead and Emmanuel Sanders?

Free agents and draft prospects to consider

The 49ers would likely have to hit the bargain bin if they were looking to fill a possible Ward vacancy with a veteran. Cody Davis (Jaguars), Demarius Randall (Browns), Adrian Phillips (Chargers), Tre Boston (Panthers), Akeem King (Seahawks), and Kemal Ishmael (Falcons) seem like reasonable, cost-friendly fits, though bringing Ward back, even with his injury history, appears to be a better option.

The other avenue is the draft. Cal’s Ashtyn Davis seems like a strong scheme fit as a range single-high safety. Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield may be best closer to the line of scrimmage, which might call for Tartt to get moved to free safety full time.