Kyle Shanahan teased that Jimmie Ward’s hamstring issue might be more than a minor problem. Now general manager John Lynch is confirming that.
Lynch said during Thursday’s pregame show on Amazon Prime that Ward is likely to start the season on the short-term injured reserve, meaning he’d miss the first four weeks of the season.
That also explains why the 49ers signed former Pro Bowl safety Tashaun Gipson earlier this week. Gipson will compete with offseason signing George Odum for the open free safey position, should Ward indeed miss the first quarter of the season.
Ward hurt the hamstring 10 days ago, with Shanahan calling it “pretty bad” shortly after.
Ward is one of three 49ers starting defensive backs currently dealing with an injury, although both Charvarius Ward (groin) and Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring) are expected to be healthy for Week 1.
