INDIANAPOLIS – When Texans veteran safety and team captain Jimmie Ward was healthy, he delivered impactful plays with his hard-hitting, instinctive style.
The defending AFC South champions want to see more from Ward next season once he fully recovers from a sprained foot that required surgery and ended his season in December.
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Limited to 10 games overall, Ward, 33, was effective when he was in the lineup with 48 tackles, five for losses, two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. Ward was a key piece of the defense as the replacement for standout nickel Jalen Pitre. Since replacing Pitre in the lineup, Ward returned the interception for a touchdown and recorded 24 tackles with four for losses and two passes defensed over the last month of the season.
Under contract for 2025, Ward has been limited to 20 games for the Texans over the past two seasons due to injuries..
His medical outlook from the foot injury is positive, but the team obviously wants better durability from Ward moving forward.
“Jimmie’s doing good, along with the rehab process,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said at the NFL scouting combine. “It will definitely be important to get Jimmie back just while 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 out on the field. Just has to stay healthy and be out there longer for us to impact the game the way that we know Jimmie can impact the game.”
Before the season, Ward signed a one-year, $10.302 million extension that included a $5.25 million signing bonus and $8.75 million guaranteed. He’s due a $2.75 million base salary in 2025 with $2 million of it fully guaranteed, per game active roster bonuses up to $500,000, and $750,000 in not likely to be earned incentives for playing time. He has a $5.669 million salary cap figure.
Ward played the nickel spot for Ryans when he was the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and followed him to Houston to play safety on a two-year, $12.81 million deal. Ryans has confidence in Ward’s skills, toughness and versatility.
“Yeah, Jimmie has played a lot of spots for us and Jimmie is a versatile player,” Ryans said during the season. “He has played in the back end. He can play all over the back end, and he’s been a good playmaker for us. Wherever he lines up, it will be dynamic and he’ll make some plays. He flies around and has a swarming mentality, so wherever we put him, that’s what he’ll do.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.