Tag: Jordan Willis

49ers tie Packers on touchdown off blocked punt

A TD off a blocked punt has pushed the 49ers into a tie with the Packers

The San Francisco 49ers’ special teams are doing what the offense can’t Saturday in Green Bay: Putting points on the scoreboard.

A blocked punt in the fourth quarter by Jordan Willis was recovered by Talanoa Hufang, who took the ball into the end zone, and suddenly the NFC Divisional Round game was tied 10-10 deep in the fourth quarter.

The punt by Corey Bojorquez was coming on a fourth-and-19.

The play was the second huge one by the Niners’ special teams. Jimmie Ward blocked a Mason Crosby field-goal attempt at the end of the first half that would have given Green Bay a 10-0 lead.

49ers roster moves: 2 DL officially activated, Javon Kinlaw, Jaquiski Tartt go on IR

The #49ers made some roster moves on the defensive line ahead of their Week 8 game in Chicago.

The 49ers on Saturday announced a handful of roster moves ahead of their Week 8 showdown with the Bears in Chicago. Most of the shuffling came on the defensive line where Kevin Givens was activated off injured reserve and Jordan Willis was added to the roster following the conclusion of his suspension. Javon Kinlaw, who underwent season-ending knee surgery, was officially placed on IR, along with strong safety Jaquiski Tartt who is dealing with a knee contusion. Tight end Jordan Matthews and safety Kai Nacua were elevated from the practice squad.

Givens suffered a high ankle sprain in the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Eagles. He’s been a nice find for them since joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2019. In 16 career games he has 1.0 sacks, 21 tackles and five tackles for loss. His presence on the interior will be key in Kinlaw’s absence.

The NFL handed Willis a six-game suspension this offseason for violating their performance-enhancing substance policy. That suspension was lifted after the 49ers’ loss to the Colts, and he was with the team in the lead up to Week 8 thanks to a roster exemption that allows suspended players to be on the roster for a week without counting against the 53-player limit.

Willis’ return will be key with Dee Ford likely out with a concussion and Samson Ebukam questionable with an ankle issue. The 49ers acquired Willis in a trade with the Jets last season. He posted 2.5 sacks in seven games.

Kinlaw had knee surgery to help fix a problem that had ailed him since the draft. The hope is a season-ending procedure now will help him be ready to play a full slate next year after missing two games this season. His absence in the middle will require the 49ers to dig into the depth the established in the interior this offseason.

Tartt is expected to miss a few weeks with his knee injury, and an IR stint means he’ll miss a minimum of three games. He was injured in the 49ers’ loss to the Colts in Week 7. Rookie Talanoa Hufanga will take his place in the starting lineup.

Matthews gives the 49ers some additional tight end depth. He’s a better pass-catching option than Tanner Hudson who had been working as the third tight end with George Kittle out.

Nacua will help the depth in the secondary and fill a special teams role while Hufanga gets the start at safety.

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49ers injury update after rocky start to offseason

A look at the players with availability and injury concerns for the 49ers going into training camp.

The 49ers’ 2020 season was marred by injury and absences due to COVID-19. Turning the calendar to 2021 hasn’t provided much relief so far.

Through just a handful of rookie minicamps and organized team activities, the club still finds itself with injury concerns and availability issues going into training camp.

Perhaps camp and the offseason will see the tide turn in this area, but for now it remains a sizable problem for San Francisco heading into an important season for their coaching staff and front office.

Here’s a list of players with availability concerns going into camp:

49ers DE Jordan Willis suspended 6 games

49ers DE Jordan Willis was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

The 49ers will be without defensive end Jordan Willis for the first six games of the 2021 season after he was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy the team announced Thursday.

Willis will still be allowed to participate in training camp, preseason practices and preseason games. He’ll start the year on the suspended list and will be allowed to return to the roster after Week 7’s showdown against the Indianapolis Colts, and can return to the field in Week 8 at Chicago.

San Francisco acquired Willis last year in a mid-season trade with the New York Jets. He played in seven games and notched 13 tackles along with 2.5 sacks. COVID-19 knocked him out of one game, and he missed the season finale with an ankle injury that landed him on Injured Reserve.

Willis entered the NFL with the Bengals as a third-round pick in the 2017 draft. He’s played in 50 games with two starts, compiling 65 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

The 49ers re-signed Willis to a one-year contract in March.

DE Jordan Willis re-signs with 49ers

The 49ers added depth to their pass rush when they re-signed free agent DE Jordan Willis.

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.

49ers hoping to unlock big-time potential in DL Jordan Willis

Jordan Willis has big-time potential that the San Francisco 49ers are hoping to unlock.

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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.

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Report: Jets trade LB Jordan Willis to 49ers

The Jets are trading Jordan Willis to the 49ers for a future draft pick.

Joe Douglas has struck his second trade of the week.

According to multiple reports, the Jets are sending linebacker Jordan Willis and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick.

New York now has three sixth-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft with its own, Tampa Bay’s and San Francisco’s. Over the next two drafts, the Jets have 18 total draft picks.

Following Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, the Jets traded Steve McLendon and a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Buccaneers for a 2022 sixth-round pick.

After playing in nine games last season, Willis only played 42 total snaps for the Jets this year and failed to record a single tackle. He has been inactive over the last three games.

Willis was a third-round pick out of Kanas State in 2017 by the Bengals. He lasted two seasons in Cincinnati before the Jets claimed him off waivers in 2019. For Willis’s career, he has 52 total tackles, three sacks and a pass breakup.

With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, don’t expect this to be Douglas’ last trade, as he appears to be cleaning house in order to load up on future draft capital.

49ers trade for Jets outside linebacker Jordan Willis

The San Francisco 49ers have traded with the New York Jets for outside linebacker Jordan Willis.

The San Francisco 49ers are adding depth to their linebacking corps.

According to multiple reports, the 49ers have traded a 2022 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for outside linebacker Jordan Willis and a 2021 seventh-round pick.

Willis has played in two games for the Jets this season, collecting just one fumble recovery. The former 2017 Cincinnati Bengals third-round pick has played 46 snaps on defense for the Jets in 2020.

New York acquired Willis after Week 1 of the 2019 season when he was released by the Bengals. The former Kansas State Wildcat provided seven combined tackles, two quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, and a forced fumble in his nine games for the Jets, none of which he started.

The 25-year-old leaves an 0-6 Jets team struggling for success and joins a 3-3 Niners squad attempting to stay competitive in the juggernaut NFC West.

Jets injury report: Jamison Crowder, George Fant to return vs. Broncos

Jamison Crowder and George Fant are expected to play Thursday night against the Broncos.

The Jets are getting some reinforcements back from injury for Thursday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Jamison Crowder (hamstring) and George Fant (concussion) are expected to make their return Thursday night. Crowder was limited in practice all week, while Fant practiced fully on Wednesday. Crowder is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game.

Other players listed as questionable include Jordan Jenkins (shoulder), Chris Hogan (ribs/knee), John Franklin-Myers (knee) and Mekhi Becton (shoulder). All are expected to be available, though.

Jordan Willis (ankle) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) are listed as doubtful, while Breshad Perriman (ankle) is out.

As for the Broncos, Drew Lock (shoulder) is out as expected, as is Jeremiah Attaochu (quadriceps). Phillip Lindsay (foot) and Davontae Harris (hamstring) are questionable.

Jets injury report: New York gets good news on Mekhi Becton’s shoulder

Mekhi Becton’s MRI came back better than expected and there’s a chance he’ll play on Thursday against Denver.

The Jets finally caught an injury break, and not a literal one.

Adam Gase said Monday that Mekhi Becton’s MRI on his shoulder came back better than expected. Becton is considered day-to-day and there’s a chance he can play on Thursday against the Denver Broncos. If Becton can’t go, Connor McDermott will start at left tackle for the Jets. Either way, this is better news than expected after Becton left’s Sunday’s game against the Colts and didn’t return.

Elsewhere, Jordan Jenkins is also day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Like Becton, there’s a possibility Jenkins plays on Thursday. Gase said that it will be hard to hold Jenkins out.

As for Jamison Crowder (hamstring), he’ll go through walkthroughs this week and the Jets will make a determination on his status after that. Breshad Perriman (ankle) is still out.

George Fant and Quincy Wilson are still in concussion protocol. They will have to clear protocol in order to play on Thursday. Ashtyn Davis (groin) could go through walkthroughs this week, while Jordan Willis (ankle) is unlikely to play on Thursday.