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The 49ers appear to have avoided a disaster with free safety Jimmie Ward. He left Sunday’s win over the Bears in the fourth quarter and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game with a quad injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday said Ward would miss one or two weeks with a Grade 1 quad strain, although he didn’t fully rule him out for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
Losing Ward for a week or two isn’t ideal for San Francisco, but Shanahan sounded after Sunday’s game like he feared a potential long-term issue.
“Pretty big concern. I don’t know yet,” Shanahan told reporters. “But I think when you talk about pulling a quad, it’s very similar to pulling a hamstring. And we’ll see if that’s the case on it.”
He left the door open for Ward to play in Week 9, but he didn’t sound optimistic about those chances.
Veteran Tavon Wilson filled in for Ward in Chicago and would be the starter if he’s unable to play against Arizona on Sunday.
Ward this season has started all seven games and has 40 tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
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