The 49ers pass rush got a little deeper Tuesday when the team announced free agent defensive end Jordan Willis would return to the club on a one-year deal.
Willis was acquired by San Francisco last year in a mid-season trade with the Jets. The 49ers shipped a sixth-round pick to New York in exchange for Willis and a seventh-round selection.
The Bengals selected Willis out of Kansas State in the third round of the 2017 draft. He notched only 2.0 sacks in 32 games for Cincinnati and wound up with the Jets after they claimed him off waivers early in the 2019 season. Willis didn’t fare much better in New York, tallying only 1.0 sacks in 11 games.
There was a belief in the 49ers’ organization that Willis was being improperly utilized at his previous two stops. He proved them at least partially right with 2.5 sacks in nine games with the club to finish last year.
It made sense that the 49ers would try and retain his services given what he flashed in his brief time with the team. This year on a healthier version of the defensive line, San Francisco is hoping Willis can add speed and athleticism off the edge to help them replicate the deep pass rush that helped spearhead a Super Bow run in 2019.
