Tag: charvarius ward

49ers depth chart: DC reveals who 3rd starting cornerback will be

We know now who the 49ers’ 3 starting CBs will be.

The nickel cornerback spot was one of the few starting lineup questions for the San Francisco 49ers heading into training camp.

Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir were both locked in as starters, but the nickel CB job was up for grabs with a handful of contenders. As camp and the preseason churned on, veteran Isaac Yiadom and rookie second-round pick Renardo Green emerged as the top options to earn starting jobs.

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen told reporters after Friday’s practice the club has an answer at that spot. Rather than playing coy, Sorensen divulged the 49ers would lean toward the veteran as the third CB.

“Well how we’ve been going has been how it started out, with Ike (Yiadom) and DMo (Lenoir) and Mooney (Ward),” Sorensen said. “And then we’ve been rotating guys through and getting a lot of reps with them as well. But that’s how it’s going right now. And Renardo (Green) rotating in.”

Lenoir and Ward figure to be the two outside corners in the 49ers’ base defense. In the more commonly-used nickel packages, Yiadom will take over an outside spot while Lenoir kicks inside to the slot.

Green worked primarily in the slot during his first training camp. If he rotates in it would likely be in the slot with Lenoir staying outside.

This is in line with how the 49ers approached the third CB job last year. They didn’t have a rookie, but they had veterans Ambry Thomas and Isaiah Oliver.

Thomas would play outside in nickel with Lenoir in the slot. If Oliver was in, he’d play in the slot with Lenoir outside.

Nickel CB was a pretty significant problem for the 49ers last season. Ward and Lenoir were both very good, but their third CB spot was up-and-down all year.

This season they have some options again, but they’ll lean on Yiadom who is coming off his best season as a pro. If he picks up where he left off with the Saints last season and Lenoir continues his ascension toward being a Pro Bowl caliber slot CB, the 49ers will have solved a significant issue in their secondary.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo on the defense without L’Jarius Sneed: ‘I miss him every day’

Kansas City #Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo on the defense without L’Jarius Sneed: ‘I miss him every day’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense in 2023 showed the league they were for real with their consistent dominance through the Super Bowl LVIII run.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo addressed the change in the secondary, which included L’Jarius Sneed’s departure in the offseason and the possibility of Trent McDuffie taking over his role moving forward. He spoke with reporters about it on Monday after practice.

“We’ll see how that goes. I mean, almost every game, we had LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) travel with the “top receiver,” whether we do that or not with Trent (McDuffie), it’ll just be a game-by-game plan. We’ll see who the other corner is and who the nickel is.” said Spagnuolo. “There’s still a lot of unknowns right now. We got some work to do back there. We certainly miss LJ; I miss him every day.”

During his 57 regular-season games in Kansas City, Sneed had ten interceptions and 40 passes defended. In the postseason, he had one interception and seven passes defended in 13 games, primarily against the opposing team’s top receiver.

“Some of the schemes might change. We’ll see somebody going to step up and serve that particular role. If we don’t, we go in another direction and find another way to do it,” said Spagnuolo. “In the years we’ve been here, we always, every game, travel a corner. We did it a little bit when Charvarius Ward was here; we did with him, but it’ll be a game-by-game thing.”

The Chiefs’ defense was the team’s primary strength last season and was praised for its work in the secondary. The absence of Sneed could play a significant role in whether or not the success can be replicated in 2024.

Vikings could be big players in 2025 defensive free agent market

Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis reports the team could look to add a number of defensive free agents next year, like Kenny Clark.

Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense were much improved last season over their 2022 counterparts. The schemes that Flores drew up for the defense last season gave teams fits all season. We’ll have to see how this year’s version matches up to last year’s team, but there’s already talk about the team being heavy players in next year’s crop of free agents.

The Vikings should have a lot of cap space to work with next season, and there are several holes on this year’s squad that have yet to be filled. While it seems unlikely Minnesota fills those holes in any meaningful way this season, next year could be the year. But who could they be targeting on the free agent market?

According to The Athletic’s Minnesota Vikings beat reporter Alec Lewis, there are several enticing names the team could be players for:

Two names: Kenny Clark and D.J. Reed. The Vikings will likely peruse the market for DTs and CBs next year, and these two might be the best available at their positions. But there are other possibilities, too. How about 49ers CB Charvarius Ward, Patriots DT Davon Godchaux or Eagles EDGE Josh Sweat? These aren’t A-level names and they’re all nearing 30, but this is the aisle you’re shopping in on the open market.

There’s a strong ‘veteran leadership’ theme running through all of those names, as each either has extensive playoff and championship experience or has played for legendary head coaches. It seems clear the Vikings are looking to bolster the leadership aspect of their team for the years to come.

49ers’ looming problem at cornerback

Much of the offseason focus has been on the future of the 49ers’ WR room, but they might have a bigger problem at CB.

We’ve spent a ton of time this offseason looking at the future of the 49ers’ receiving corps. Whether it’s Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk it sounds like there’s going to be some significant changes in that group next year. On the other side of the ball there’s perhaps an even bigger problem brewing. Neither of the 49ers’ top two CBs are under contract after the 2024 season and both are likely to get paid handsomely in free agency.

Both Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir are set to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason and San Francisco may not be able to pay both to stay.

According to Over the Cap the 49ers are over next year’s projected cap by $38 million. There are ways that they can and will create space, but with Brock Purdy’s extension likely coming next year San Francisco’s cap management will change dramatically. Keeping both of their top CBs might be impossible.

Ward told Kay Adams, host of ‘Up and Adams,’ that he’s “just trying to get the bag” next offseason, which makes sense given how well he played in 2023. If he backs that up with another All-Pro campaign he’ll be in for a sizable free agent deal that pushes north of the contract he signed with the 49ers in 2022 that had a $13.5 million average annual value with $18 million guaranteed.

Then there’s Lenoir who broke out with a career-year in 2023 that flashed his versatility as an inside/outside CB. Ideally the 49ers would do a Dre Greenlaw type of deal with him where they try and trade a longer-term commitment for a cheaper contract. The problem is Greenlaw agreed to his two-year, $16.4 million deal after he’d dealt with a slew of injury problems that had his long-term earning potential in flux.

Lenoir is not in the same boat. He’s purely an ascending player who could conceivably want to sign a deal now, but anything he’d be agreeing to ahead of the 2024 season would pale in comparison to the type of contract he’d get on the open market after another strong year this year.

There’s a chance the 49ers can do the cap gymnastics to keep one of the two, especially if one of them slips up a bit this season.

However, the looming free agency of both underscores how bare the cupboard might be for the 49ers at CB. San Francisco doesn’t even have a surefire third starting CB for this season, much less someone they’re comfortable penciling in as a long-term starter to replace one of Ward or Lenoir.

Ideally a couple players would step up this season to take the third and fourth CB spots and give the 49ers some hope of having multiple options to replace at least one of their starters should they exit next offseason. They drafted Renardo Green in the second round in hopes that he could become that player. Samuel Womack has started games for San Francisco over his three seasons, and second-year CB Darrell Luter Jr. is an interesting option as well. A handful of veterans will also be in the mix although Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin are both on one-year contracts.

This will be a situation worth monitoring all year. San Francisco would love to see another great year from both Ward and Lenoir, but the better they are the more likely we are to see them leave for huge contracts next March.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers’ CBs have become most underrated part of roster

The 49ers’ pass rush has been the story of their defense recently, but now their CBs are underrated.

Picking a specific player as the “most underrated” on the 49ers isn’t an easy exercise. For one, defining “underrated” is nigh impossible leaving everybody’s selections to come from a different standard. There’s an interesting theme in recent selections of the 49ers’ most underrated player from a couple of different national outlets: San Francisco’s cornerbacks room needs to get more shine.

Pro Football Focus made a list of the most underrated player on each NFL team and chose CB Deommodore Lenoir for the 49ers. Touchdown Wire made their own most underrated list and put down CB Charvarius Ward.

It’s clear that while so much of the focus has (rightly) been on the 49ers’ pass rush since their string of deep playoff runs began in 2019, their secondary has now improved significantly and is worth discussing as one of the strengths of San Francisco’s defense instead of a weakness.

While Ward received recognition for his 2023 campaign with a Second-Team All-Pro nod, not many non-49ers fans would likely consider him one of their best players. He very much was a season ago though and allowed the 49ers’ defense to continue thriving despite their pass rush dealing with some inconsistencies. Ward received his best-ever overall grade from PFF last season and allowed a paltry 63.7 passer rating when targeted. He was one of the NFL’s best CBs without question.

Then there was Lenoir who came on strong at the end of 2022 and carried into 2023 where he posted his career-best overall PFF grade while splitting time between outside and in the slot. He also had a career-high six pass breakups to go along with his three interceptions.

A quality one-two punch at CB is not something every team has. And while figuring out the third CB spot will be paramount for San Francisco in training camp, it’s clear at this point they at least have a pair of Pro Bowl caliber corners. If their pass rush rekindles its dominance in 2024 we might see Ward and Lenoir put up numbers that get them out of the realm of the underrated.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

TD Wire: 49ers have 2 of NFL’s top 10 press cornerbacks

Press coverage is the 49ers’ bag now, and they have two of the NFL’s best press corners:

The 49ers are a defense constructed to dominate up front. Their MO since John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan arrived has been to build a ferocious pass rush that disrupts quarterbacks and makes life easier on the secondary. In that instance the bar for cornerback play was lowered. However, in the last couple years the 49ers have seen an ascension from their CBs that has their secondary in a spot to be extremely effective in 2024. In fact, two of their CBs ranked in the top 10 in Touchdown Wire’s rankings of the best press cornerbacks in football.

Charvarius Ward was No. 8 on TD Wire’s list. Deommodore Lenoir landed at No. 9 on the list following his best season as a pro.

Author Doug Farrar had some impressive numbers for Ward in press:

Last season for the NFC champs, Ward was in press on 231 of his 1,172 snaps, ranking 10th in the NFL. And when targeted in press, Ward allowed 14 catches on 34 reps for 6.0 yards per reception, three explosive plays, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Like all the NFL’s best press cornerbacks, Ward combines physical dominance at the line of scrimmage with excellent transition skills, and the ability to stay in a receiver’s hip pocket throughout the play.

Ward used his press skills to notch his first All-Pro nod after last season while leading the 49ers with five interceptions and leading the NFL with 23 pass breakups.

Lenoir didn’t enter last season as a surefire starter for San Francisco, but his play over the course of the year was evidence of his growth as a versatile inside/outside CB. Via Farrar:

As for Lenoir, he perfectly complemented Ward both outside and in the slot with 257 press reps in his 1,222 snaps. When in press, Lenoir allowed 17 catches on 39 targets for 7.9 yards per catch, four explosive plays, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Like Ward, Lenoir is a bigger cornerback (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) with the transition skills needed to match and carry every kind of receiver.

It’s clear adding quality press coverage CBs is a priority for San Francisco. They signed Ward in 2022 after he led the NFL in press snaps for three consecutive seasons. Press is also something second-round draft pick Renardo Green thrived at in college at Florida State.

Adapting has been something the 49ers have done well on the offensive side, and now it appears they’re shifting their focus on the other side of the ball as well.

Last year San Francisco’s pass rush struggled to consistently get home and impact opposing quarterbacks. If they can improve there in 2024, combined with the amount of press played by 49ers CBs, we could see a significant uptick in takeaways in the secondary and a jump back to the No. 1 defensive spot for San Francisco.[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Inside the NFL’s press coverage revolution

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get deep into a new press coverage revolution in today’s NFL.

Over the last few seasons in the NFL, a lot of coaches and executives have tailored their defensive schemes in one specific fashion — an increase in press coverage from their cornerbacks. Not only the old-school aggressive press-man coverage we all know, but also mirror-match press man coverage, where a cornerback trails the receiver through his route as the route is declared.

Why? Because NFL offenses have found all kinds of ways to beat the old Seattle Cover-3 stuff from a decade ago with 3×1 and 2×2 receiver sets, and the route concepts inherent in those deployments. Now, if you’re rolling out that “Country Cover-3,” your defense is going to be in trouble.

There’s also the element of quick game in the league, which has increased in recent years. When the quarterback is throwing out of zero- to three-step drops, there are times when edge defenders simply don’t have time to get to the quarterback before the ball comes out. So, logic dictates that if you can’t disrupt the quarterback in the timing of the down, you need to disrupt the timing of the receivers’ routes, forcing the quarterback to delay his reads and throws, and giving those pass-rushers that extra split millisecond to get home.

In this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, investigate the NFL’s changes in press coverage, and the players who do it the best, including...

  • L’Jarius Sneed of the Titans;
  • A.J. Terrell of the Falcons;
  • Martin Emerson Jr. of the Browns;
  • Patrick Surtain Jr. of the Broncos;
  • Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the Jets; and
  • Joey Porter Jr. of the Steelers.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell” right here:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Charvarius Ward has wish for Week 1 vs. Jets’ Aaron Rodgers

Charvarius Ward has a request if he intercepts Aaron Rodgers in the 49ers’ week one tilt agains the Jets.

While the schedule for the 2023-24 NFL season was revealed just last week, one member of the San Francisco 49ers is already laying out a plan for Week 1. During the opening week of the new NFL season, the 49ers will host Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in Santa Clara for the first Monday Night Football game of the 2023-24 campaign.

In a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward spoke about matching up against future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 1. While Ward praised the Jets quarterback, he said he would like for Rodgers to autograph the ball if he’s able to secure an interception in Week 1.

Via Up & Adams:

Hopefully, Aaron Rodgers throws me one. That’s a Hall of Famer. That’s a legend. I’m trying to pick him off and then have him sign the ball for me.

Via @upandadamsshow on Twitter:

https://x.com/upandadamsshow/status/1792659207642345561?s=42&t=lM_nXrVh2yaS08eSD168hA

Ward is coming off a career-high campaign with five interceptions on the way to an All-Pro season. Ward has 10 interceptions over his career, but has yet to pick off Rodgers.

If Ward is able to snag an interception against Rodgers and have him sign the ball, he won’t be the only member of the 49ers to seek an autograph from a Hall of Fame caliber passer. After Dre Greenlaw intercepted Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Tom Brady in 2022, the 49ers linebacker was able to get the seven-time Super Bowl champion to sign the ball after the game.

Ward will line up against Rodgers when the 49ers host the Jets on Monday, September 9, for Monday Night Football to start the new season.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Charvarius Ward confident he’ll be ready for training camp after offseason surgery

Charvarius Ward underwent surgery this offseason, but he’s confident he’ll be ready for camp.

There was a bit of a surprise this offseason when 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward posted on Instagram that he was undergoing surgery – later confirmed to be a core muscle procedure.

Ward was coming off his best season as a pro and earned a Second-Team All-Pro nod. He is a key cog for the 49ers’ secondary so the offseason surgery was certainly cause for concern. While Ward may not be available when the team begins OTAs on Monday, he told Kay Adams on her show ‘Up and Adams’ that he expects to be a full go for training camp in late July.

“I’m still rehabbing,” Ward said. “So I’m trying to get back up to running full speed and everything like you saw me in that pick-6 clip, but I feel good. My body feels way better than it did a couple months ago. Even at the end of last season I was hurting pretty bad, like my back, groin and abdomen was hurting pretty bad. But I fought through it, I pushed through it. I’m almost at 100 percent. I’ll be ready for training camp for sure.”

Having Ward for training camp is far more important for the 49ers than having him for OTAs. It’s also encouraging to consider how effective he might be behind a revamped defensive line and without the impediment of whatever issues he was playing through last season. If Ward is better in 2024 than he was in 2023 the 49ers’ secondary should be in good shape.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

2 key 49ers undergo offseason surgery, expected back by camp

2 49ers All-Pros had offseason surgery, but both are expected back by training camp:

Two 49ers All-Pros had offseason surgery according to general manager John Lynch. Cornerback Charvarius Ward and tight end George Kittle both underwent core muscle surgery this offseason, with both expected back for the start of training camp per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.

Ward had posted about his surgery on social media, but there was no confirmation on exactly what the surgery was. Given the location of the procedure the assumption was that he’d had a core muscle operation. Lynch on Monday confirmed that.

Kittle’s surgery wasn’t as public. It’s not a surprise the 49ers’ star tight end was banged up at the end of the year given his playing style.

It’s unclear at what point either player needed the procedure, but the good news for San Francisco is that both should be back by camp. Missing offseason time is never great, but there shouldn’t be much concern that either Ward or Kittle will be ready to play once they’re cleared and training camp starts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]