[jwplayer uiO8bQ7W-ThvAeFxT]
The 49ers needed pass rush help on the edge after multiple injuries left them relatively thin at the position. After a couple free agent signings didn’t work out, San Francisco made a trade with the New York Jets to acquire edge rusher Jordan Willis. While
It wasn’t a blockbuster move to acquire a Pro Bowler. In fact, Willis has had a somewhat disappointing career since the Bengals selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. However, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh sees untapped potential in the 25-year-old.
Willis has just 44 pressures and four sacks in 43 career games according to Pro Football Focus, but Saleh on Thursday explained that a change of scenery and defensive scheme should help the Kansas State product reach a new level in his NFL career.
“Just throughout his career so far, not to say that he hasn’t been used properly, but he’s such a versatile athlete than you can use him any which way,” Saleh told reporters in a video conference. “He’s just going to have the opportunity to do something that he hasn’t done. He’s played outside linebacker. He’s stood up. He’s dropped in coverage. He’s played some defensive end, different than the type of defensive end, it’s a different technique than we’ll teach him here, but he’s going to get an opportunity to just let loose and get off the ball and rush the passer and set edges and play to the style that we play.”
Willis will likely line up as a pure pass rusher in the 49ers’ Wide-9 defensive front. He’s a superb athlete who blew the combine out of the water before the 2017 draft. Teams have tried using that athleticism to have him do more than just get after the quarterback. San Francisco will aim to limit his role in hopes that his physical tools will help turn him into the additional effective pass rusher they desperately need.
Willis on Wednesday was in practice with the 49ers and appears ready to suit up Sunday in Seattle, although his snaps may be limited as he eases into his new role.
If Saleh is right and Willis figures out how to regularly pressure the quarterback, the 49ers’ quiet, end-of-October trade with the Jets could be a move that helps push them toward a postseason berth.
[lawrence-related id=662272]