The strength of the Houston Texans has been their defense since DeMeco Ryans took over as head coach in 2023. The Texans have ranked 14th and sixth in yards allowed and 11th and 14th in scoring defense over Ryans’s first two seasons and a big reason for their improvement has been the presence of Jimmie Ward.
Ward spent his first nine seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and spent six seasons with Ryans, who worked his way from defensive quality control coach all the way to defensive coordinator. When Ryans took the head coaching job in Houston, Ward was one of the first players he brought with him to help turn the Texans around.
Now entering his age-34 season, Ward is once again recovering from an injury. But Ryans gave an optimistic update while speaking with reporters at the NFL Combine.
DeMeco Ryans Sounds Optimistic About Jimmie Ward’s Recovery From Latest Injury
Ryans was asked about Ward’s progress as he recovers from foot surgery that ended his season after a Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While the update was positive, Ryans also stressed the importance of keeping him on the field when he is fully recovered.
“Jimmie’s doing good along with the rehab process,” Ryans said via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. “It will definitely be important to get Jimmie back. Going back and watching the season and seeing some of the plays that Jimmie made. He’s a great leader. He’s a playmaker when he’s on the field. He just has to stay healthy and be out there longer for us to impact the game the way we know Jimmie can right now.”
#Texans safety Jimmie Ward recovery from foot surgery going well and coach DeMeco Ryans emphasized importance of getting his leadership and skills back in the lineup, and him getting and staying healthy @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/s60St1bq9I
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 25, 2025
A first-round pick out of Northern Illinois in the 2014 NFL draft, Ward hit his stride during the 49ers run to the Super Bowl in 2019. His overall grade of 85.0 ranked seventh and his 84.5 coverage grade ranked 10th among qualifying safeties according to Pro Football Focus that year. He also finished with an overall grade over 70 in five of the past six seasons.
But while Ward makes an impact on the field, he’s had trouble staying on it. Although he played in all 16 games during the 2015 campaign, he hasn’t played a full season since with the closest coming when he played 16 games for the 49ers in 2021.
Ward’s injury issues have been especially prevalent during his time in Houston. Before his most recent surgery, Ward dealt with groin and concussion issues and was limited to 10 games in his first year with the Texans.
For now, all signs are pointing toward Ward being ready for training camp. While there could be changes around him, the challenge for the Texans will be to make sure he stays healthy as they prepare for the 2025 season.