SANTA CLARA – The day after the 2018 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys signed an undrafted cornerback from Middle Tennessee named Charvarius Ward.
But Ward never made it into the regular season with the Cowboys.
Four months after his signing, Dallas traded Ward to the Kansas City Chiefs for an offensive lineman who never played a single game for the Cowboys.
“Do I hold a grudge? No,” Ward said Thursday outside his locker at Levi’s Stadium. “I won a Super Bowl in Kansas City and played really well in Kansas City, and I got a great contract here in San Francisco. Therefore, I am satisfied with the way my career is going.
“They saw the value of me in Kansas City. And it’s probably the best thing that could have happened to my career.”
Ward will face the team that let him get away when the 49ers take on Dallas on Sunday night in a thrilling matchup between two NFC heavyweights.
Ward only spent a short time with the Cowboys, but he credits then-Dallas defensive backs coach Kris Richard with teaching him technique and being a positive influence. He also remembers an impressive facility and some delicious chicken dishes in the team canteen.
At the start of training camp that year, he made another indelible memory when he intercepted a pass from quarterback Dak Prescott.
“Yeah, I got his ass,” Ward said. “I caught him in a game too. Dak is my boy.”
Ward’s official interception against Prescott came in 2021, when Ward went down in the end zone on a pass intended for CeeDee Lamb late in the first half of Kansas City’s 19-9 win.
While it might not have felt like it at the time, Ward said being traded was a blessing. But when he arrived in Kansas City, he believed it would be an uphill battle for him to keep his job.
“I got traded on the last day of preseason, so I’m wondering how the hell am I going to make the Kansas City team?” Ward said. “I spoke to (Chiefs general manager) Brett Veach and he told me he sees me as their cornerback of the future.
“And I was for about four years.”
Last year, the 49ers signed Ward as an unrestricted free agent to a three-year, $40.5 million contract.
Ward is already brimming with confidence. He said the plays he’s made against Prescott in the past won’t give him any extra swagger ahead of Sunday night’s game.
“I gained confidence against everyone,” he said. “This game is just another game for us. I’m going to go out there and do my best and see if we get the W.”
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