Defensive back Jimmie Ward has signed a contract with the Houston Texans. Ward has spent the entirety of his career thus far with the San Francisco 49ers.
The #Texans are expected to sign former #49ers DB Jimmie Ward, sources say, giving new coach DeMeco Ryans a familiar face and leader in his defensive backfield.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2023
Jimmie Ward, Houston Texans, Agree to Contract
Jimmie Ward had a strong outing in 2022. He was in on 50 tackles (38 solo) and pulled in a career-high three interceptions – especially notable since he missed five games. He also had five passes defended and one forced fumble. Ward has now pulled in five interceptions over the last two years and is starting to become more of a ball-hawk.
Ward played college football with Northern Illinois from 2010 to 2013. He went First-Team All-MAC in both 2012 and 2013 and was Third-Team All-American in 2013. In 2014 he was drafted by the 49ers with the 30th overall pick. He had a quiet rookie season, which was hampered due in part to injury; he missed half the season that year. In 2015 he began getting more time and pulled in his first career interception, which he also returned for a touchdown.
In 2016 he had one of the better seasons of his career, pulling in another interception and having 12 passes defended, the latter of which is still a career-high. 2017 and 2018 both proved to be injury-plagued years for him, as he only played 16 games over the two seasons combined. He finally started staying healthy in 2019. However, though he remained a starter, he did not pull in an interception for four years starting in 2017. He did play in the 49ers Super Bowl loss in the 2019 season and had a team-high 11 tackles.
In 2021 he had a strong season statistically as he had two interceptions and a career-high 77 tackles. He also had the second pick-six of his career, and blocked a field goal in the playoffs.
Thus far in his career, Ward has a total of 451 tackles (341 solo, seven interceptions, five forced fumbles, and two recoveries.
Main Photo: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
