Charvarius Ward Needs to Step Up after the Bye Week

Opposing quarterback used to avoid throwing into Charvarius Ward's coverage. Now they hunt him and target him mercilessly.

The 49ers signed Ward to a three-year, $42 million contract in 2022 because they thought he was a shutdown cornerback. Someone opponents would fear. But these days, he's a penalty waiting to happen, so teams throw at him as much as possible.

This trend started Week 2 when the 49ers played the Rams. The 49ers won the game, but the Rams targeted Ward 9 times and completed 8 of the passes for 80 yards. They showed him no respect, which was interesting, because the Rams are a divisional opponent. They play the 49ers twice a season. Meaning they know the 49ers better than most teams, and they don't respect Ward.

Cut to Week 7. The 49ers play the Vikings, whose head coach is Kevin O'Connell, who was the Rams offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2021. So of course the Vikings target Ward 8 times, complete 5 passes, gain 107 yards and a touchdown. No fear.

Cut to Week 8. The 49ers play the Bengals, whose head coach is Zac Taylor who coached from the Rams in 2017 and 2018. So the Bengals target Ward 8 times, complete 5 passes, gain 68 yards and score a touchdown.

The Rams have shown the rest of the league who to attack in the 49ers' secondary -- Ward. Not Deommodore Lenoir. He's much more consistent than Ward, who makes more bad plays than good plays at this point in his career.

For what the 49ers are paying him, they need him to step up and play much better after the Bye week. He needs to be an impact player, not a liability.