The Texans made several additions this offseason to bolster a defense that was ranked near the bottom of the league in most categories in 2022. 

One of these additions is Jimmie Ward. After almost a decade in San Francisco, Ward follows his former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to Houston. 

After the signing of Ward, many wondered whether he would primarily line up in the slot as a nickel corner, or if he would play safety. 

Well, that question was recently answered for us. 

During last week's owner meetings, Ryans was asked about Ward and what role he foresees the veteran playing in Houston. 

“Jimmie has been very fun to work with because he’s jumped into that nickel role, and he thrived in the role, made probably more plays than he’s made playing safety, so Jimmie can play anywhere,” Ryans said. “But I’m going to play him at safety.”

Presumably, Ward will be the strong safety while young star Jalen Pitre mans the free safety spot. 

This means that Jonathan Owens, in all likelihood, will not return to Houston in 2023. There were questions about the future of Owens after he had a career year in 2022, finishing second in the team with 125 tackles. 

However, Owens would be redundant with the addition of Ward and the re-signing of MJ Stewart. 

After playing safety almost exclusively for the first eight years of his career, Ward transitioned to nickel corner in 2022. The results were promising, with the veteran landing a career-high three interceptions on the season. 

Despite those results, Ryans thinks that Ward will be most beneficial next to Pitre. For what it's worth, PFF is fond of Ward's play at safety, giving the defender at least a 75 grade from 2019-2021.