49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan held his mini-camp press conference Tuesday and went over a few things. We’ll have a full transcript shortly, but some bigger news is Jimmie Ward and Richard Sherman will get to participate in individual drills. Ward tweaked his ankle at OTAs and the 49ers are playing it safe with him as far as individual work.
Sherman on the other hand has been making good progress. He’s finally able to participate in individual drills. This is a welcome change since he was on the sidelines during OTAs helping coach up the defensive backs (and doing a good job of it by all accounts). Shanahan did say they hope for Sherman to be, “good to go” by training camp.
How Sherman’s abilities translate after his injury is something we’ll need to keep our eyes on, as he could have lost a step in the recovery. Sherman has said he could be doing more than individual work, but the coaching staff is probably trying to play it safe and not risk aggravating the injury further. The good thing is everything seems to be moving on schedule without setbacks and Sherman will at least get a chance to show what he’s made of.
Ward on the other hand is definitely looking more to be playing cornerback, in case you didn’t know. Shanahan said they’ll be putting him where they need him most but also indicated Adrian Colbert will be the starting safety, though there are no guarantees.