Ward (foot) has been placed on season-ending injured reserve, ESPN's Paul Gutierrez reports.

Ward, the 30th overall pick in May's draft, mostly worked as a slot cornerback in the 49ers' nickel defense, though he's sometimes listed as a safety. He finishes his rookie season with just 20 tackles (19 solo) and two passes defensed, but he mostly held up well in a difficult role. It will be interesting to see how the 49ers use Ward next season, assuming he makes a full recovery. For the rest of this season, Tramaine Brock and Dontae Johnson are the leading candidates to take on expanded roles.

Ward (foot) is out for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Ward's absence strains San Francisco's corner and safety depth a bit, but it shouldn't drastically alter the performance of 49ers defense.

Ward (quadriceps) is active for Sunday's game versus the Rams.

While Ward is active for the first time since Week 6, the versatile defensive back has merely 16 tackles (15 solo) and two passes defended across six games this season.

Ward (quadriceps) is probable for Sunday's game against St. Louis.

Although he's still trying to break his way into the starting 49ers defense, Ward's presence will be useful Sunday since he's a talented defender who can contribute at both safety and cornerback.

Ward (quadriceps) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

With 16 tackles in six games to date, the 2014 first-rounder is only an option in the deepest IDP formats.

Ward (quadriceps) is questionable for Sunday's game against Denver.

Ward didn't practice at all this week, so it's hard to see how he'll suit up. If he doesn't play, the tackle counts for Antoine Bethea and Eric Reid should be a bit more secure.

Ward suffered a quadriceps injury during Monday night's game against the Rams, NFL.com reports.

Ward was forced to exit Monday's game and did not return following his injury. At the moment, the severity of Ward's calf ailment is unclear, although his absence resulted in Perrish Cox filling the 49ers' nickel cornerback slot Monday. That saw fellow rookie Dontae Johnson claim Cox' original outside corner position and Johnson finished the game with four tackles (three solo) and a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. Should Ward miss time, Johnson would figure to assume an expanded role, since Tramaine Brock (toe) continues to be sidelined.

Ward (head) played on 45-of-60 defensive snaps Sunday, recorded three tackles in the loss to Chicago.

It was initially reported that Ward suffered a concussion last week against Dallas, but it turned out just to be a minor head injury. He was on the field for most of the game due to Tramaine Brock's (ankle) absence. At 5'11", the Bears decided to pick on Ward in the redzone, matching him up with Brandon Marshall on all three of Chicago's redzone touchdowns. While he is still a rookie, his lack of size could be one of the factors holding him back from being a top corner and probably has him destined to be a safety (his natural position) down the road.

Ward (head) did not suffer a concussion against Dallas last week and will not have to go through the NFL's concussion protocol prior to Sunday's game against the Bears, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

It was initially reported that Ward suffered a concussion against the Cowboys last Sunday, but a statement issued by his agent confirmed that he did not. Both starting corners Tramaine Brock (ankle) and Chris Culliver (concussion) sustained injuries last week, so Ward's role could be expanded if either is forced to miss Sunday's game against the Bears.

Ward will have to go through the NFL's concussion protocol after exiting Sunday's game with a head injury, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports.

Starting cornerbacks Tramaine Brock (toe) and Chris Culliver (concussion) also left with injuries, leaving San Francisco perilously thin in the defensive backfield. Ward is expected to get significant run in the Niners' nickel and dime defenses this season, and while capable of playing corner, it's unclear whether he'd be considered as a potential replacement for Brock or Culliver in the starting lineup.

Ward made his first interception as a 49er in Sunday's 21-7 win over the Chargers.

Ward started the game playing the nickel, and then moved to safety in the second half when he made the pick. While his natural position is safety, he will start the season as the team's nickel corner. The only scenario where he would start at safety is if Antoine Bethea hasn't fully recovered from his concussion.

With a strong showing in Thursday's preseason opener, Ward has all but solidified his anticipated role as the 49ers' nickel corner this season, CSN Bay Area reports.

Ward played 32 snaps Thursday, recording two tackles in the preseason loss to Baltimore. He looked healthy and appears to be completely over the foot injury he has surgery on this off-season. Ward is currently slated to be the 49ers' primary backup at safety and also their nickel corner heading into the season.

49ers first-round DB Jimmie Ward (foot) is healthy and ready for the start of training camp.

A fracture in Ward's foot was discovered at the Combine, and he was held out of all pre-camp activities after the team made him the 30th pick in May's draft. He can play safety and corner. Ward will compete with veteran Perrish Cox for nickel corner duties this summer, but should have no problems beating him out.

49ers first-round DB Jimmie Ward (foot surgery) will be held out of all pre-training camp activities.

Doctors discovered a Jones fracture in Ward's right foot at the Combine. He ran a 4.45 forty at Northern Illinois' March 7 Pro Day and underwent surgery four days later. The recovery timetable was 6-8 weeks, giving Ward plenty of time to heal before training camp. He'll be withheld from OTAs as a precaution.

The 49ers plan to use first-round pick Jimmie Ward on roughly 60 percent of their defensive snaps as a rookie.

Ward isn't converting to corner full-time, though he has the skill set to do so. Initially, he'll back up Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea on early downs, and cover slot receivers in nickel packages. The Niners technically did not draft a "starter" at No. 30 overall, but Ward will play well over half of the snaps.