Latest news with #CharvariusWard
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers rookie Matthew Golden scores pair of smooth wins in joint practice with Colts
During training camp and joint practices, 1-on-1 drills between pass-catchers and coverage players often heavily favor the pass-catcher. In the cornerback and wide receiver 1-on-1s, cornerbacks are left on an island without help, while the wide receiver knows the route beforehand and can go multiple directions. Good luck. Green Bay Packers rookie Matthew Golden took full advantage of the opportunity to showcase his talent during Thursday's joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts. Given two 1-on-1 reps, Golden scored a pair of smooth and impressive wins. Here's Golden against veteran cornerback Charvarius Ward: Golden released cleanly off the line, threatened an outside route and then broke it off inside, leaving Ward crossed up on the transition and trailing well behind. Golden made the catch on the run and uncontested. Here's Golden against Colts cornerback Alex Johnson: This time, Golden got a clean release inside, threatened up the field and then cut outside, leaving Johnson in the dust. The Colts cornerback was in full recovery mode by the time Golden made an easy catch and then accelerated up the field. The 1-on-1 caveat here remains, but two things standout from the reps. First, Golden is both smooth and sudden. His long speed is an asset, but his super power really is an ability to stop and start with ease and explosiveness. Secondly, Golden is going to be a nightmare to cover if he's not pressed or moved off the line of scrimmage at the snap. If he can consistently win with his release, Golden will be big trouble for corners to cover. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers rookie Matthew Golden 1-on-1 wins in joint practice with Colts
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
49ers rookie draws comparison to Hall of Fame defensive back
After giving up just 192.8 passing yards per game in 2024 (fourth-fewest in the NFL), the San Francisco 49ers made a lot of changes to their secondary, including swapping out Charvarius Ward, Isaac Yiadom, Talanoa Hufanga, Nick McCloud, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, George Odum, Rock Ya-Sin and Tashaun Gipson for Jason Pinnock, Tre Brown, Richie Grant, Siran Neal and Tre Tomlinson in free agency. Then, in the NFL draft, San Francisco used their second of two third-round picks (No. 100 overall) on Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout. Stout, 23, was a three-star recruit out of North Shore High School in Houston, Texas before spending his first two college seasons at North Texas and then transferring to Western Kentucky for the last years three. In 45 career games between the two schools, Stout recorded 166 tackles (12 for a loss), 15 passes defensed, six interceptions (two for touchdowns), 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered (returned for a touchdown). He also earned All-Conference honors thrice and FCS All-American honors twice. As Stout looks to earn a starting opportunity as the team's nickelback, 49ers general manager John Lynch has been impressed with the rookie's performance and even compared him to a Hall of Fame defensive back. "This whole class has been good, but I'll tell you, Upton Stout, you don't have to have a real trained, you just come to practice," Lynch said on KNBR's "Murph & Markus" this week. "You always have to be careful making comparisons to Hall of Fame players, but I played with a nickel [in Tampa Bay in] Ronde Barber, and they wear the same number -- the feistiness, the competitor that Upton is, and that kind of drives his entire game. Now you have to have a skillset, and Upton certainly has that." Barber was a third-round pick out of Virginia in the 1997 NFL draft and spent his entire 16-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making five Pro Bowls, five All-Pro teams and winning one Super Bowl. He and Lynch were teammates in Tampa Bay for seven seasons from 1997-2003. Obviously, putting Hall of Fame expectations on a rookie cornerback would be foolish, but it's clear that Stout belongs on the field. If he continues on this trajectory through the end of the preseason (and remains healthy), he'll give himself an opportunity to be out there with the 49ers' defensive starters in their Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers' John Lynch compares CB Upton Stout to HOF DB Ronde Barber
USA Today
31-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Under-the-radar rookie emerging as potential starter for 49ers at vital defensive position
After allowing the fourth-fewest passing yards (192.8 per game) in 2024, the San Francisco 49ers' cornerback room underwent massive changes, including Charvarius Ward, Isaac Yiadom, Nick McCloud and Rock Ya-Sin leaving for new teams and Tre Brown, Siran Neal, Eli Apple and Tre Tomlinson joining in free agency. San Francisco also added a trio of rookies - Jakob Robinson, Derrick Canteen and Upton Stout - to the group. Stout was the team's lone draft pick at cornerback, with the 49ers taking him in the third round out of Western Kentucky. The 49ers have hosted six days of training camp at their SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, California, and with Renardo Green missing time with a hamstring and Deommodore Lenoir missing Tuesday's session, Stout has taken on a bigger role than previously imagined in practice. During his time on the field and in the meeting rooms, Stout has caught the attention of 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is returning to San Francisco's sidelines after serving as the New York Jets' head coach for the last four seasons. 'He's a sharp kid. It's definitely not too big for him,' Saleh said during a recent media availability. 'We've got to be careful as a coaching staff, you know, you've still got to slow play it. Regardless of how smart you feel like they are, there are still a lot of things that they're still learning, so you just want to, we'll push the envelope, but never too far to where he can't execute his job. But that's stuff we're learning, trying to figure out who he is and what he's capable of. That's really for everybody on the defense. It's finding out what they're capable of and pushing the envelope to meet that line of their ability to execute to their God-given ability... "Like I said on Stout, he's doing a really good job. The biggest thing for all these rookies, just do your job, be 100 in that regard. And I think he's doing a really nice job. He's been beat a few times, obviously there's a couple of coverage things that he's been beat on, but it's all learning. It's for all those guys, for the entire defense, it's grinding through rep after rep and trying to fine tune your craft.' Stout began his collegiate career at North Texas in 2020 before transferring to Western Kentucky in 2022. Over the last three years he earned All-Conference honors thrice and FCS All-American honors twice while recording 125 tackles (11 for a loss), 11 passes defensed, six interceptions, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered in 33 games. The 23-year-old has a lot of work to do before he earns a starting role as a rookie, but there's certainly a path for him to do so, especially considering he's already earning praise from his coordinator. More 49ers: 7 takeaways from the San Francisco 49ers' first week of training camp
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former 49ers CB says he was upset and unmotivated throughout the 2024 season
After the San Francisco 49ers finished with their 2021 campaign with a 10-7 record and were knocked out of the postseason in the NFC championship game, they looked to upgrade their secondary and did so by signing cornerback Charvarius Ward, who was coming off of some strong seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, to a three-year, $40.5 million deal. Ward played three seasons with the 49ers starting 46 games and earning both All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2023. However, as he entered his final season with the 49ers without an extension, Ward says he was upset. 'I was hurt when I realized when I wasn't getting a contract extension or an offer… So I wasn't motivated," Ward recently told The Athletic's Mike Silver. "I was kind of pissed off. I knew when the season started it was a wrap for me in the Bay… They got DMO, they drafted him and he's younger than me. They probably like DMO a little bit better. He's a little more physical and aggressive than me. I can lock anybody down. Kyle and John want head-busters. I'm not mad. He got what he deserved. All-Pro's don't grow on trees, though.' Ward's 2024 season was far from his best, as he finished with 54 tackles (one for a loss) and seven passes defensed. Things got much worse for him at home when he tragically lost his 1-year-old daughter, Amani Joy, during the team's bye week. The cornerback missed multiple weeks after the rest of the team returned from the bye, but when he returned, his mind still wasn't on doing everything he could for the 49ers. 'Once I came back every game after that, I was just like, 'I don't give a [expletive] what happens,'" Ward told Silver. "I don't care if I win this rep; I don't care if I lose this rep.' I was there physically, but mentally, I was somewhere off the grid, off the globe. "It's been hard for me personally to go to work every day, every game — even to practice or go to meetings," Ward added. "I almost left a couple of times. [Expletive], I know fans probably hate me (for saying that), but [expletive] it, it's real life.' Ward started five of the team's final six games down the stretch, as they finished the year with a 6-11 record and outside the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The team decided to pay another starting cornerback, Deommodore Lenoir, last season, allowing Ward to find a new home in free agency. The 29-year-old inked a three-year, $54 million deal ($60 million max) with the Indianapolis Colts in March that included $27 million guaranteed at signing. With his new team, he'll be the top cornerback again, and he'll have a chance to prove to the 49ers that they should invested in him when they had the article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Charvarius Ward was furious with the 49ers throughout the 2024 season
New York Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Colts' Charvarius Ward opens up on 49ers exit: ‘Mentally, I was somewhere off the grid'
WESTFIELD, Ind. — When Charvarius Ward gets into a groove, his energy and enthusiasm are palpable. In those moments, the ball-hawking cornerback known as 'Mooney' has a sunny disposition that permeates the practice field, even amid the grind of training camp. Such was the case last Friday as Ward, the Indianapolis Colts' prized free-agent signee of the 2025 offseason, leaned back against a chain-link fence bordering the practice field following the team's third workout of the summer and provided an unprompted assessment of his new fit. Advertisement 'The blue looks good on me — obviously,' Ward said while gripping his practice jersey and grinning broadly. Then Ward went ahead and answered the question he knew was coming: 'I'm doing good, man — physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm doing way better than what I was. At first, it was hard to see the light at the end of that tunnel, but I kind of got my joy back, my happiness back, my smile back, and everything like that. I've got a lot of optimism right now.' Ward, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, is coming off a traumatic season that transcended his football-related frustrations. Last October, Ward's daughter, Amani Joy, died shortly before her second birthday. Though Amani was born with Down syndrome and a heart defect that required surgery, her death was sudden and unexpected. Ward, understandably, went into a dark place as he and Amani's mother, Monique Cook, mourned their loss while awaiting the birth of their son (Charvarius Jr.) in December. When he returned to the San Francisco 49ers after missing three games, Ward was a broken man. 'Once I came back,' he said, 'every game after that, I was just like, 'I don't give a f— what happens. I don't care if I win this rep; I don't care if I lose this rep.' I was there physically, but mentally, I was somewhere off the grid, off the globe.' As he tries to move forward, fresh off a three-year, $60 million deal he signed with the Colts last March and his engagement to Cook earlier this month, Ward, 28, is motivated to help the Colts reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. His current mindset stands in stark contrast to the one he carried into the 2024 campaign. Coming off an overtime defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, the 49ers made a final stab at keeping their collection of high-priced veterans together, ultimately giving out a slew of big-money extensions. Ward, after a career year in which he led the NFL with 23 passes defensed, wanted a raise, too. When 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear that wouldn't be happening, instead allowing Ward to play out the final year of his contract, he didn't take it well. Advertisement 'Even before everything happened with my baby, I really wasn't super motivated,' Ward admitted. 'Because after the year I had in '23, I wanted a contract extension — because I wanted to stay — and I knew I wasn't getting a contract offer. They came to me and kind of told me what it was, 'cause they had (other) people to pay. So it kind of had me in my feelings a little bit. I just never made it public. 'I was hurt when I realized I wasn't getting a contract extension or even an offer for an extension. So, I wasn't motivated; like, from OTAs all the way through camp, I was kind of pissed off. I knew when the season started it was a wrap for me in the Bay.' Ward, who had core muscle surgery shortly after the Super Bowl, was further perturbed by the fact that running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams all received lucrative extensions after skipping team activities. (McCaffrey stayed away from voluntary OTAs; Aiyuk staged a training camp 'hold in' and didn't practice, citing a back injury; Williams held out until shortly before the start of the regular season.) 'There was a lot going on, bro,' he said. 'Because if you're winning, s—, everybody wants to get paid. Everybody feels it. Everybody feels that when certain guys are not around and certain guys are around but not participating. Like, I was there. I had surgery after the season under the advice of them, and I was rehabbing with them. I had (been) All-Pro, too, and I didn't get paid so I was like, 'What the f—?' Like, people are not showing up and getting paid, and I wasn't. 'So, it definitely made me feel some type of way. That type of stuff, it does take a toll on the whole team.' The 49ers, after three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances, struggled from the start in 2024, ultimately finishing last in the NFC West with a 6-11 record. During a 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in late October, Ward began to snap out of his malaise. 'When that Cowboys game came, I was like, 'OK, I'm gonna start back balling, get back in my AP (All-Pro) bag.' I was covering good, playing hard. Then boom, the next day, the personal situation (Amani's death) happened. And that just made it a hundred times worse.' Advertisement Ward never made it personal with Lynch and Shanahan. 'They kept it real all year,' he said. 'They never hid anything from me, so that's why I respect those guys. It's all love.' He remains on good terms with both men, who congratulated him via FaceTime shortly after he signed with the Colts. Though he didn't get the answers he wanted during the 2024 offseason, Ward understood his bosses' perspective. Lynch and Shanahan planned to sign quarterback Brock Purdy to a massive extension after the season. They also prioritized cornerback Deommodore Lenoir over Ward, signing the 25-year-old to a five-year, $92 million extension last November, while Ward was away from the team. 'Obviously quarterback is way more important than a corner,' Ward said. 'And they got Demo (Lenoir), so … I mean, you know, they drafted him, and he's younger than me. They probably like Demo a little bit better. He's a little more physical and aggressive than me. I can lock anybody down. Kyle and John, they want head-busters. I mean, I'm not mad. He got what he deserved. All-Pros don't grow on trees, though.' When Ward returned to the team following his daughter's death, he clearly wasn't right. He played in five of San Francisco's final six games, all but one of them losses, but quickly regretted his decision to come back. After the mid-December defeat to the Los Angeles Rams that essentially killed the Niners' playoff hopes, Ward told me, 'It's been hard for me personally to go to work every day, every game — even to practice or go to meetings. I almost left a couple of times. S— , I know fans probably hate me (for saying that), but f— it, it's real life.' Nonetheless, Ward stayed, dissuaded by the financial ramifications of possibly losing game checks if he left without the organization's blessing. 'I feel like I shouldn't have come back,' he said. '(Initially) I didn't want to come back. I thought I was going to be able to (return to the field), but once I came back, I tried to leave again. But I wasn't going to get paid. So, I had to make my money.' (A 49ers source said the team remained supportive of Ward throughout the tragic ordeal.) Advertisement 'I just tried to tough it out,' Ward said. 'All those games after I came back, I gave zero f—-, to be honest. I didn't really care about being coached. Anytime I got a coaching point, I was like, 'F— it, I don't care.'' Ward isn't necessarily proud of that; he's just being real about his grief. 'You can say you'd do this and do that,' he said, 'but till you go through a situation like that, you would never understand what it feels to feel like that. It's like, you don't always want to be here. It's like, 'Take me instead of my child.'' As he headed into free agency for the second time — Ward, after four years with the Chiefs, signed a three-year deal with the 49ers in 2022 — the former undrafted free agent sought a fresh start. He wanted to feel wanted. And, of course, he wanted to get paid. The Colts and New Orleans Saints (whose newly hired defensive coordinator, Brandon Staley, was on Shanahan's staff in 2024) both obliged, with each team making a strong push for his services. All the above. — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) June 18, 2025 'Did I really have to watch tape?' Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo asked rhetorically before Friday's training camp practice. 'I did, obviously, but it just confirmed what I already knew. He's a premier corner — a tall guy who can run with length, is smart, and has great ball skills. I'm a huge fan.' Ward is determined to 'go out there and repay' the Colts by playing at a high level — and by helping to set a standard of excellence that his younger, less seasoned teammates can emulate. Indy's financial commitment is especially resonant given what he went through in 2024. 'You want to feel wanted,' he said, referring to the way his 49ers tenure ended. 'You want to feel like those guys want you to play for them like no matter what. Like, 'We'll pay you whatever to keep you around.' It's about the money, but it's not about the money at the same time. It's kind of like a respect thing. 'If you want me to be the best corner in the world, to follow the best receiver around, that's a hard-ass job to do. So obviously I'm gonna want to be compensated. 'Cause I'm gonna be stressed out every f—ing day trying to cover these good-ass receivers.' It's early, but Ward has already made a strong impression. 'I've seen him make a lot of plays and also, I see him being perfect on the (practice) field as far as the technique,' said Colts safety Cam Bynum, another of the team's marquee free-agent signees. 'He's a lockdown corner. His mindset is good. He's focused. But he also has fun. I like playing with those types of guys.' Advertisement Ward's state of mind was buoyed by his engagement to Cook, which occurred after he pulled off an elaborate surprise. After telling Cook that he was planning a party near their Dallas-area home to celebrate the end of the offseason, he staged a conspicuous proposal in front of family and friends with the help of R&B singer Fridayy, who sang two of his songs — 'When It Comes to You' and 'Baddest in the Room' — to punctuate the moment. 'She was totally caught off guard, totally shocked,' Ward said. 'And she hasn't stopped smiling since then. I've been wanting to do it for a while, because this is like the first time in my life where I was ever scared to lose a woman. Like, when I was working out this offseason, I'd tell her, 'Come to the field with me, come run around the track while I'm working out.' I just want her with me all the time. Because we've been through the highs of the highs, and obviously the lowest of the lowest. She stuck by my side and I stuck by her side.' Now, Ward and his fiancée — and 7-month-old Mooney Jr. who, according to his father, is in the 99th percentile in terms of height and weight for his age — will try to come out the other side of their unimaginable heartbreak. Obviously, it's an ongoing process. 'I'm still bouncing back from it, man,' Ward said. Part of the healing process, he hopes, can include a return to the level of play he displayed in 2023. 'I'm in my AP bag,' he insisted, forecasting another All-Pro selection. 'I'm gonna try to speak it into existence.'
