49ers.com photo: San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmy Ward

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA– The 49ers will need all the help they can get this season, and they received a little more this week.

 The team activated safety Jimmie Ward from the physically-unable-to-perform list on Wednesday, providing a huge boost to a defense that is, like the rest if the team, looking for a bounce-back season to ignite the turnaround that the team’s brass is looking for.

 Ward had missed the entire summer with a lingering hamstring injury.

 Ward will be playing a new position in 2017, as he will be playing a deep safety in new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s cover-3 scheme.

 The scheme was made famous by the Seattle Seahawks, as it was the look that helped them win the Super Bowl three years ago, and Ward is expected to play the same role as Earl Thomas. In the team’s eyes, what makes him a fit for this position is his range and quickness, which he utilized as the team’s primary slot corner, as he transitions to safety.

 Another asset that Ward has is his tackling ability. In his three years in the league – all with the 49ers – he ranked second among the team’s cornerbacks in tackling efficiency.

 Ward is expected to be in action as the 49ers prepare to head to Minnesota to face the Vikings in their new stadium in downtown Minneapolis, U.S Bank Stadium. The two teams will do battle Sunday night, and the 49ers will be looking for their first win of the preseason.