Top 49ers CB Misses Practice Ahead of Steelers Game

49ers top cornerback Charvarius ‘Mooney’ Ward is dealing with a heel injury that popped up on Thursday, forcing him to miss practice. Just three days ahead of their matchup against the Steelers, that raises alarm bells, with Ward being the player who is likely to draw George Pickens.

Ward’s inclusion on the injury report comes as a surprise. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan did say Ward will likely play against the Steelers when the 49ers come to Pittsburgh as long as he has no setbacks. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks reiterated that same statement. If Ward could, for some reason, not go, Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas would be the two starters against Pittsburgh. Thomas usually only comes in during sub-packages for the 49ers.

Coming over from the Chiefs a year ago, Ward quickly took the mantle as the top cornerback on the 49ers team. Ward often shadows top receivers for the other team. At 6-foot-1 with great length, he seems like the ideal player to try slowing Pickens down at the catch point. Both players are ultra-competitive at the catch point, so that would be a competitive matchup,

All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga missed practice for a personal matter. Meanwhile, critical players such as George Kittle continued to look suitable for their participation status on Sunday. Kittle even went as far as to say that he felt “wonderful” despite only practicing in a limited fashion. The Steelers and 49ers both boast relatively clean injury sheets. Larry Ogunjobi and Cam Heyward are the two crucial Steelers players on the injury report.