Here's what 49ers fans should know about Ward as he makes his way to the Bay Area.
A Late Start
A product of McComb, Mississippi, Ward was always a good athlete, but he didn't get his football career started until his senior year in high school. After undergoing surgery as a child to remove a cyst in his hip bone, Ward was confined to a wheelchair for six months and had to use crutches for the better part of two years during his grade school days, which led in part to him not playing sports when he was young. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, local coaches saw Ward's ability and asked him to play youth football, but he wasn't too interested, saying, "I was a big momma's boy. I didn't want to leave the house."
Ward was a strong student in high school, graduating in three years after bypassing his sophomore year. But Ward's mother Tanya told the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal that once her son got focused on football, there was no turning back.
"People always say 'I know you're proud of him' and I am, but football is just a bonus," Tanya said in 2020. "I'm proud of the kid because he grew up in the ghetto, not having a lot but he would always try to do right. He did well in school, never got in trouble and then football came later on in his life. Once he got in his head that he wanted to play football, he let nothing stop him from playing. It's honestly amazing."
Under the Radar prospect
As was the case coming out of high school, Ward didn't enter into the NFL Draft surrounded by hype. He started his collegiate career at Hinds Community College, where he had 64 tackles and four interceptions in two seasons (2014-2015) before transferring to Middle Tennessee State. Ward produced 74 total tackles, 21 passes defensed, and two interceptions in 25 games at Middle Tennessee but was not invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine, which led him to catch the attention of scouts with a strong pro day performance where he turned in a 4.44-second time in the 40-yard dash. Ward wound up going undrafted before signing with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent.
Tears to Cheers
The Cowboys thought well of Ward during his brief time with the team, but they decided there wouldn't be room for him on their roster and traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the 2018 preseason in exchange for veteran offensive lineman Parker Ehinger. Ward said he began to cry when the Cowboys informed him of the news.
"I was shocked. I started crying at first," Ward said, per the Star-Telegram. "I started crying because I didn't know if I was going to make the team in Kansas City. Pre-season was over and training camp was over. I was wondering. I didn't know."
Ward not only made the team in Kansas City, he went on to play a significant role during a rookie season that almost had a storybook ending... almost.
Nearly the Hero
Ward unexpectedly emerged as a starter for the Chiefs late in his rookie year, then he very nearly turned in what could have been a game-winning interception to send the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl since the 1969 season. The Chiefs rallied from a halftime deficit to take a late-game 28-24 lead over the New England Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship game, and with 54 seconds left on the clock, Ward intercepted a deflected pass from Tom Brady that, for a moment, appeared to put the Chiefs in a position to ice the game.
But, in one of the most infamous moments in Chiefs postseason history, the play was nullified when defensive end Dee Ford was called for offsides.
Now, as fate would have it, both players are teammates once again with the 49ers. Ford's future with the 49ers remains to be seen after two injury-plagued seasons, but Ward is undoubtedly a big part of the team's plans.
Coming Off a Good Contract Year
Ward had a solid four seasons for the Chiefs, which of course included a Super Bowl win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. He totaled 222 tackles, 29 passes defensed, and four interceptions in 56 games (43 starts) with 67 tackles and two interceptions in 2021. Last season brought a bounce-back performance for Ward, who committed 11 penalties in 2020 while allowing a completion percentage of 57.1 and a passer rating of 103.1 after having a 65.2 rating and a completion percentage of 47.2 in 2019. Ward gave up a passer rating of 79.4 with a 51.3 percent completion rating in 2021 with just four penalties while often being asked to cover No. 1 receivers. He was named as the Chiefs' most improved player by Pro Football Focus.
"Ward was picked on more in 2021 than in any other season of his career — he was targeted on 17.9% of his coverage snaps, the 14th-highest rate among NFL corners," wrote Anthony Treash of PFF. "Despite that, Ward held his own and recorded a career-high PFF grade (71.2). He generated 0.37 PFF WAR, which ranked 16th among NFL corners and was over seventh-tenths more than his previous career-best."
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