San Francisco 49ers Roster, Injury News 2017: Safety Jimmie Ward Fractures Forearm, Likely Out for the Season
Jimmie Ward's season is likely over after he sustained a forearm injury in the first quarter of last Sunday's 33–10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has confirmed that Ward has a fractured forearm during a press conference on Monday, and he also noted that the free safety was heading to the injured reserve list.
Shanahan didn't specifically say that Ward has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but the fourth-year pro probably won't return to the field this year.
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"The broken forearm for [Arizona Cardinals quarterback] Carson Palmer, we just saw him go on IR. Out about six to eight weeks with that so that's what I would think for Jimmie Ward and, obviously, just based on where we are in the season, it's something that really could be season-ending," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said during an appearance on KNBR-AM's "Murph & Mac" podcast, via 49ers Webzone.
Ward also finished the 2014 and 2016 seasons on the injured reserve list due to fractures. He missed eight games during his rookie season in 2014 due to a stress fracture in his foot, and he missed the final three games of the 2016 season due to a broken collarbone.
With Ward sidelined, Shanahan said he's moving Eric Reid back to strong safety, while Jaquiski Tartt will switch to free safety.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Adam Schefter was one of the first to report that the 49ers have acquired Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick.
This is a bold move by the 49ers because Garoppolo has only started twice since he entered the league in 2014. He's a relatively unproven commodity, but he has the potential to develop into a franchise quarterback.
Schefter has also reported that the team has released veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer to make room for Garoppolo on the 53-man roster.
