Charvarius Ward

Charvarius "Mooney" Ward (born May 16, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

Early years and college career
Ward attended McComb High School. As a senior, he tallied 48 tackles, one interception and received All-region honors.

He enrolled at Hinds Community College. As a freshman, he collected 32 tackles, 3 interceptions, 5 passes defended and one forced fumble. As a sophomore, he recorded 32 tackles, one interception, 2 passes defended and one blocked kick.

He transferred to Middle Tennessee State University for his junior season, appearing in 12 games with 2 starts, while making 26 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defended, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery. As a senior, he played in 13 games with 8 starts, posting 48 tackles (sixth on the team), 3 tackles for loss, one sack and led the team with 14 passes defended.

Pre-draft
Ward did not receive an invitation to attend the NFL Combine. On January 20, 2018, Ward played the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. On March 12, 2018, Ward attended Middle Tennessee State's pro day and performed all of the combine and positional drills. He had a stellar performance at his pro day which greatly elevated his draft stock. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Ward was ranked as the 46th best cornerback prospect in the 2018 NFL draft by DraftScout.com.

Dallas Cowboys
On April 30, 2018, the Dallas Cowboys signed Ward to a three-year, $1.71 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $5,000. Throughout training camp, Ward competed to be the fifth cornerback on the active roster against Marquez White, Duke Thomas, and Donovan Olumba.

2018
On August 30, 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs traded offensive guard Parker Ehinger to the Cowboys in exchange for Ward to provide needed depth for their offensive line. Head coach Andy Reid named Ward the fifth backup cornerback on the active roster to begin the regular season, behind Steven Nelson, Kendall Fuller, Orlando Scandrick, and Tremon Smith.

On October 1, 2018, Ward made his professional regular season debut and recorded three combined tackles during a 27–23 victory at the Denver Broncos in Week 4 . On December 23, 2018, Ward earned his first career start after Kendall Fuller was ruled inactive due to a thumb injury. He recorded eight combined tackles and deflected a pass as the Chiefs lost 38–31 at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. Ward finished his rookie season in 2018 with 30 combined tackles (26 solo) and three pass deflections in 13 games and two starts.

The Chiefs finished first in the AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first round bye. On January 12, 2019, Ward started in his first career playoff game and recorded four combined tackles and deflected four passes during a 31–13 win against the Indianapolis Colts in the American Football Conference (AFC) Divisional Round. The following week, he collected seven combined tackles in the Chiefs' 37–31 loss against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. With 54 seconds remaining in the game, Ward caught what would've been the game-ending interception to send the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIII, but the play did not stand due to an offside penalty by defensive end Dee Ford.

2019
Ward competed against Bashaud Breeland to be a starting cornerback. Head coach Andy Reid named Ward and Bashaud Breeland the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season in 2019. On September 15, 2019, Ward made four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first career interception during a 28–10 win at the Oakland Raiders in Week 2. Ward intercepted a pass by Derek Carr, that was originally intended for wide receiver Ryan Grant, and returned it for a ten-yard gain during the third quarter. He scored two points for the Chiefs when he recorded a defensive extra point return in a Week 13 game against the Raiders. Ward then made his second interception against the Houston Texans, by snagging a one handed interception over DeAndre Hopkins. He finished the 2019 season with 74 total tackles (56 solo), two interceptions, ten passes defended, and one forced fumble. Ward helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LIV where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31–20. Ward recorded four tackles in the game.

2020
After Bashaud Breeland was suspended for the first four games of 2020, Ward was named the No. 1 starting cornerback for Week 1 of the 2020 season. Ward missed Week 2 with a fractured hand suffered in Week 1, but returned in week three. In Week 7 against the Broncos, Ward recorded a team high nine tackles and sacked Drew Lock once during the 43–16 win. Overall, Ward finished the 2020 season with 51 total tackles, one sack, and six passes defended. Ward helped the Chiefs reach Super Bowl LV for their second straight Super Bowl appearance, where they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 31–9.

2021
The Chiefs placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Ward on March 17, 2021. He signed the one-year contract on June 10. Ward was named starting cornerback to begin the regular season for the third straight year. Before Week 3, Ward strained his hamstring. He missed four games, returning in Week 7. In Week 11, Ward recorded his third career interception against the Dallas Cowboys off of Dak Prescott in one on one coverage against CeeDee Lamb. Ward had a great performance in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, recording a career-high 10 tackles, and only allowing one completion for 27 yards. He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 20, 2021. He was activated on December 23, 2021. Ward got his fourth career interception and second of the year next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers on an overthrown pass by Ben Roethlisberger intended for RayRay McCloud. He finished the regular season with 67 tackles, two interceptions, and 10 pass defenses.

The Chiefs made the playoffs again in 2021, but fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship, 27–24. In the entire postseason, Ward recorded 16 tackles and three pass defenses. This would turn out to be the end of Ward's time with the Chiefs, as he subsequently entered free agency.

2022
On March 17, 2022, Ward signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the 49ers. He recorded his fifth career interception and first as a 49er in a Week 2, 27–7 victory over the Seahawks. The following week he recorded his second career forced fumble in a 11–10 loss to the Broncos. In the week 15 rematch against the Seattle Seahawks, Ward recorded his first career fumble recovery, which he took for 40 yards to set up a Christian McCaffrey touchdown in a 21–13 win that secured the NFC West for the 49ers. He finished the season, having played and started in every game for the first time since 2019, with career highs in tackles (87) and pass deflections (11).

2023
In the 49ers' 2023 season opener against the Steelers, Ward recorded his sixth career interception in a 30–7 victory. In Week 6 he recorded his third career forced fumble in a 19–17 loss against the Cleveland Browns then, the following week, he recorded his seventh career interception and had a chance for an eighth before the ball was ripped away and taken for a touchdown by Jordan Addison in a 22–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. In Week 15, Ward recorded two interceptions in a 45–29 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the first of which he returned 66 yards for his first career touchdown. After the game, Ward reported having practiced catching throws from 49ers backup quarterback Sam Darnold during the prior week and planning to do so every week from then on. He finished the season, having played and started in every game for the second consecutive year, with career highs in interceptions (5) and pass deflections (23), leading the league in the latter stat. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. Ward helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl LVIII where they lost to his former team, the Chiefs, 25 to 22 in overtime. He had four total tackles in the game.

Personal life
Ward prefers to go by his childhood nickname "Mooney", bestowed upon him by his mother. The origin of the name is not known by Ward or his mother. "Everybody in my family has got a nickname," he said. "Nobody gets called by their real name. It’s just a Mississippi thing, I guess."