Jimmie Ward and Eric Reid have already suffered injuries, exposing the San Francisco 49ers’ lack of safety depth but allowing an impressive rookie time.
The San Francisco 49ers have added depth at a lot of positions this offseason. But one area at which the team has appeared short is safety, and that has already been proven just three days into training camp.
Jimmie Ward, who is making the move from cornerback to free safety to play the single-high role in the Niners’ Cover 3 defense, is out until mid-August with a hamstring injury sustained in condition training on Thursday, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maioccco.
Just three days after suffering that setback, the 49ers were dealt another as Eric Reid rolled his ankle, limping out of Sunday’s padded practice before trying to return and eventually leaving the field again for treatment. Jaquiski Tartt took Ward’s reps at free safety, but Reid’s injury saw him swap back to strong safety and partner with career special teamer Vinnie Sunseri.
How Ward performs as a center-fielder will be pivotal to any success the 49ers defense has in 2017. And there had been positive reports over Reid’s fit as a strong safety in the scheme. However, their injuries have exposed a crippling lack of depth that has come about as a result of the decision to release Antoine Bethea and not spend draft capital on the position.
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Tartt is unproven in coverage and seems better suited as an in-the-box safety who can contribute as a pass rusher while the 49ers’ best option as a backup to Ward is undrafted free agent Lorenzo Jerome, who is making a huge jump from FCS St. Francis to the pros. But thankfully for the 49ers, Jerome is making a big impression early in camp.
Having racked up 18 interceptions in four seasons at St. Francis, Jerome has impressed whenever reporters have taken in practices in 2017. He picked off Matt Barkley on Saturday, which (per The Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows) made it four takeaways for Jerome in practices attended by the media.
The Niners Wire’s Jerod Brown praised Jerome as an instinctual player who may stick on the 53-man roster and, with Ward and Reid out, he received a few first-team reps on Sunday.
Ward’s injury is not serious and the 49ers will hope that is the case with Reid. However, both have troubling injury histories — Ward has only finished one complete season and Reid has a history of concussions and ended last year on injured reserve. The fact they have already missed time in camp is reason for concern.
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But Jerome appears to have the instincts to make in the pros and, if one positive comes out of these early injuries, it will be the snaps he receives that will hopefully help the UDFA be ready if he is needed on the back end this season.