49ers-Cardinals: Charvarius Ward returns to practice

The 49ers excused Ward on Thursday and Friday due to a personal matter. On Friday, the team informed reporters that the cornerback was expected to rejoin his teammates that night and practice on Saturday.

Ward’s availability for Monday night was never in question. Despite missing practice time, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the cornerback’s game status was “all good.”

On March 17, San Francisco signed Ward to a three-year, $42 million free-agent contract. The cornerback has recorded 46 tackles, a tackle for a loss, an interception, nine passes defensed, and a forced fumble through nine games this season.

Ward’s 77.9 overall Pro Football Focus grade this season ranks ninth-best among NFL cornerbacks, the best among San Francisco’s cornerbacks, and the cornerback is the second-highest graded defensive back on the roster (Talanoa Hufanga, 78.1).

The 49ers will travel to Mexico City on Sunday. The team is practicing this week at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to get acclimated to the altitude. Colorado Springs sits about 6,000 feet above sea level. Estadio Azteca, the venue where Monday night’s game will take place, sits about 1,200 feet higher than that mark.