Tag: Ziggy Ansah

Report: 49ers finalizing deal with former Seahawk Ziggy Ansah

After suffering two brutal injuries to key defensive linemen on Sunday, the 49ers are working to sign former Seattle Seahawk Ziggy Ansah.

Once again, the Seattle Seahawks will be facing one of their former players dressed in the red and gold of their biggest rival, the San Francisco 49ers.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported early Monday morning that defensive end Ziggy Ansah, who was a free agent entering the 2020 season, would be meeting with the 49ers after the team suffered likely season-ending injuries to defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas on Sunday.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN confirmed the news, reporting that the 49ers are finalizing a one-year deal with Ansah that is expected to be completed this week.

Ansah previously met with the 49ers just one week ago, but the two sides could not agree on a deal. Now, however, the team’s pass-rushing depth is suddenly much thinner.

As a member of the Seahawks in 2019, Ansah defended two passes, forced (and recovered) two fumbles, and had eight quarterback hits with two and a half sacks.

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Report: 49ers finalizing contract with DE Ziggy Ansah

The San Francisco 49ers are adding a much needed pass rusher with former Lions DE Ezekiel Ansah.

The 49ers are set to sign free agent defensive end Ziggy Ansah according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. He reported that Ansah and San Francisco were finalizing a deal. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported early Monday morning that Ansah was on his way to meet the team in West Virginia with the expectation of signing with the club.

This move felt inevitable after the 49ers worked Ansah out during the offseason but couldn’t come to terms on a contract. They initially explored the signing when they needed depth on the edge, but a possible season-ending injury to Nick Bosa and a neck injury that sidelined Dee Ford in Week 2 has left the 49ers in dire straits at the most important position on their defense.

Ansah, 31, was the No. 5 overall pick by the Lions in the 2013 NFL draft. In six seasons with the Lions he racked up 48 sacks in 80 games, and spent five of those seasons working under current 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek when he held that same position in Detroit. Ansah spent last season with the Seahawks where he tallied 2.5 sacks in 11 games.

The 49ers wound up signing Dion Jordan instead of Ansah in the offseason, but Jordan wasn’t impressive in camp according to reports from Santa Clara and he wound up on the practice squad.

Ansah gives San Francisco some much-needed experience and depth on the edge. With Bosa out, Kerry Hyder Jr. and Dee Ford were the only two true edge players on the roster. Arik Armstead plays outside as well, but he moves to defensive tackle in passing situations, so the 49ers desperately needed another true edge rusher.

If Ansah begins going through the COVID-19 testing protocols Monday, he should be able to practice as early as Thursday. Given his experience in the Wide-9 scheme the 49ers run, he shouldn’t need much practice before getting some snaps Sunday vs. the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

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Report: Ravens have DE Ziggy Ansah on their radar

Though they already have a stacked defensive line, the Baltimore Ravens are keeping free-agent DE Ziggy Ansah on their radar.

The Baltimore Ravens aren’t done tweaking their roster ahead of Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. Though the Ravens are in the middle of training camp, they’ve been looking at the available free agents to see if they can’t improve their team. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Baltimore has its eyes on defensive end Ziggy Ansah.

The Ravens have been linked to a number of big-name free agents recently without making any signings. Baltimore just brought in wide receivers Dez Bryant and Dwayne Harris for workouts, though both left without a contract. With Ansah now on their radar, the Ravens seem to be keeping tabs on a number of free agents just in case.

Though the last two years have been rough for Ansah, he’s not far removed from serious production. In 2017, Ansah had 12 sacks for the Detroit Lions. However, a nagging shoulder injury has seen Ansah active for just 18 games since that point. But if that shoulder is finally healed, as seems to be the case with his recent workout video, Ansah could still be an effective pass rusher, especially on Baltimore’s revamped defensive line.

While there’s plenty of excitement about the Ravens potentially adding in another highly productive free agent, they don’t necessarily have a need for Ansah quite yet. They added Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe this offseason, pushing Brandon Williams back inside to nose tackle. As it stands right now, Baltimore is going to have a bunch of tough decisions to make on the defensive line as they trim down to the 53-man roster limit in early September.

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Report: DE Ezekiel Ansah on ‘Bills radar’ again

Buffalo Bills have defensive end Ezekiel Ansah on their radar again.

The Bills once again have shown interest in free agent defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the 31-year-old is healthy and recently sent a video to NFL teams of him working out. In addition, Fowler reports the 49ers have recently worked him out while mentioning both the Bills and Ravens have him “on their radar.”

Here’s the video of Ansah’s workout via Fowler:

The Bills previously had expressed interest in Ansah prior to previous seasons under Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott’s watch. As recently as last offseason the Bills had reported interest in Ansah, a former Pro Bowler with the Lions. At that time, he took a free agent visit to Orchard Park.

Ansah is a two-time double-digit sacker in the NFL, including a 14.5 sack season in 2015. However, injury has stalled him in recent years. Ansah was the fifth-overall pick at the 2013 NFL Draft by the Lions.

In 2019, Ansah ended up appearing in 11 games for the Seahawks after signing a one-year deal in Seattle. He played a rotational role there, 32 percent of their defensive snaps, forcing 2.5 sacks and two fumbles.

In Buffalo, Ansah would once again play a reserve role, likely with Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes and second-round rookie AJ Epenesa. Trent Murphy is also in Buffalo’s defense end room, but could be a cap casualty of the Bills if Ansah was brought in.

The Bills front office and coaching staff could also be looking at Ansah in case of emergency down the road this season, too. Teams potentially looking at, or even working out a player does not mean a signing is imminent.

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Report: Former Seahawk Ziggy Ansah going through physical with 49ers

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end, Ziggy Ansah, is currently going through a physical and COVID-19 with the San Francisco 49ers.

A former member of the Seattle Seahawks might be staying in the NFC West this season after all. Defensive end Ziggy Ansah is currently going through a physical with the division-rival San Francisco 49ers, accourding to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“This is interesting: Former Seahawks pass-rusher and current free agent Ziggy Ansah is going through a physical and COVID-19 testing with the 49ers, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted on Tuesday. “Nothing is done, but SF gets a first look at a potentially high-end edge talent.”

Ansah spent one season in Seattle and logged just 10 solo tackles, six assists and 2.5 sacks on the year.

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The 9 worst free agent signings in the John Schneider era

The Seattle Seahawks have had a lot of success under general manager John Schneider, but he has made his fair share of mistakes as well.

The Seattle Seahawks, under general manager John Schneider, built a near-dynasty in the early part of the decade thanks to a handful of excellent, career-defining draft selections – including Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas – all who well outperformed their draft spot.

Schneider also proved capable of making excellent trades to help the team, including acquiring Marshawn Lynch back in 2010 and more recent trades for Jadeveon Clowney and Quandre Diggs.

Perhaps Schneider’s biggest area of weakness is on the free agent market. Despite excellent, under the radar signings like Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Bradley McDougald and the undrafted addition of Doug Baldwin, the Seahawks have also dished out a handful of ugly deals that, at times, hampered the franchise’s bottom line while hurting the product on the field.

Here is a look at the nine worst free agent signings during Schneider’s tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, starting with a few who just missed the cut:

CB Jamar Taylor (2019)

CB Byron Maxwell (2018)

K Sebastian Janikowski (2018)

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10

Should Seahawks keep an eye on Yetur Gross-Matos at the combine?

The Seahawks could select another defensive end in this year’s draft and should keep an eye on Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos at the combine.

The Seattle Seahawks, along with the rest of the teams in the league, will be keeping a close eye on this year’s prospects at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine later this month in Indianapolis.

Always seeking to improve their pass-rushing capabilities, the Seahawks could very well look to snag another defensive end in April’s draft.

In his recent piece on naming one player for each club to watch, NFL.com’s media analyst Charley Casserly believes Seattle should take a closer look at Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos.

“Jadeveon Clowney is a free agent and the Ziggy Ansah experiment did not work,” writes Casserly. “The success of Seattle’s defense starts with having a good pass rush. The athletic Gross-Matos is a playmaker, as evidenced by his 17.5 sacks and 35 tackles for loss as a two-year starter at Penn State.”

While Ansah and his injuries might have been a disappointment for Seattle, Clowney potentially signing a contract extension isn’t outside of the realm of possibility.

The combine kicks off Sunday, Feb. 23, so be sure and follow our complete coverage here at Seahawks Wire.

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Does a Michael Bennett reunion make sense for the Seahawks?

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett recorded 6.5 sacks last year at age 34, and would be an upgrade to this team in 2020.

The Seattle Seahawks proved near the end of the 2019 season they are not afraid to bring back former players – who are past their prime – if they believe they can come in and help this team win.

While Robert Turbin and Marshawn Lynch are probably not candidates to be back again in 2020, the Seahawks could have their eye on another 2013 Super Bowl champion who is a free agent, and would help them at their biggest area of need.

While Michael Bennett is 34 years old and clearly not the player he once was, he still recorded 6.5 sacks last season, split between the Cowboys and the Patriots. That’s 2.5 more than anyone on Seattle had, and is nearly 25 percent of Seattle’s 28 total sacks from last year.

He had nine sacks back in 2018 with Philadelphia as well, and even if he continues to regress as age catches up to him, there’s little doubt he could have an impact on this Seattle pass rush that is expected to lose Ziggy Ansah and potentially one of Jarran Reed and Jadeveon Clowney to free agency.

Bennett flashed potential interest in a return by retweeting an article at 710 ESPN suggesting Seattle consider re-signing him, and he responded negatively to Brock Huard’s argument against bringing him back – although that tweet has since been deleted.

Bennett does have a checkered past, with reports of him reading books during Pete Carroll’s meetings and run-ins with law enforcement – although Carroll denied the book story and Bennett was never charged with any crimes. Plus, his veteran presence, familiarity with the team’s defensive schemes, and performance last year point to a player who could help this team right away.

The Seahawks don’t want to finish with less than 30 sacks two years in a row.

Bennett will be an affordable way to help ensure that doesn’t happen.

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Seattle Seahawks 2020 free agent profile: Defensive end Ziggy Ansah

Will the Seattle Seahawks reunite with Ziggy Ansah, or will they look elsewhere to shore up their depleted pass rush?

*The Seattle Seahawks are heading into the 2020 offseason with 19 players set to become unrestricted free agents, which should make for another busy spring and summer for Pete Carroll and John Schneider as they look to shore up the roster and contend for the number one seed in the NFC again next year.*

Our Seahawks Wire series on Seattle’s free agents continues with defensive end Ziggy Ansah.

The Seahawks did not have a good pass rush last year, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. The team made a pair of veteran additions in Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney, while also using their first-round pick on defensive end L.J. Collier.

Unfortunately, injuries and ineffectiveness worked their way across Seattle’s defensive line, hitting the veteran Ansah the hardest.

After signing a one-year deal worth $9 million dollars, Ansah was only able to deliver 2.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits in 11 games played, gradually losing playing time to Shaquem Griffin down the stretch.

While Seattle is still desperate for more help on the edge, it seems unlikely the team will give Ansah another chance after a disappointing campaign in 2019.

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Seahawks vs. Packers injury report: Key Seattle replacements for divisional playoffs

Here are a few key replacement players the Seattle Seahawks could utilize against the Green Bay Packers in their NFC divisional-round game.

The Seattle Seahawks held one final practice at home Friday afternoon before heading off to Green Bay ahead of their divisional-round matchup against the Packers.

Seattle did not rule out any players on the final injury report of the week, however, guard Mike Iupati was listed as doubtful to play with a neck injury.

In addition, five players were ruled questionable for this weekend – including tackles Duane Brown (knee) and George Fant (groin) – leaving an already thin offensive line potentially even leaner come Sunday.

With Iupati, Brown and Fant game-day decisions, the versatile Jamarco Jones will likely be charged with filling in somewhere on the Seahawks front five. Jones can line up at either tackle or guard and on both sides of the line.

“He’s done a really nice job to acclimate because he’s been a left side guy, too,” coach Pete Carroll said after practice. “A while back a few weeks, he played right side and did a fine job there. It hasn’t been a struggle for him at all. Either side, either spot really. I think he’ll do good wherever we need him.”

Seattle could also look to Chad Wheeler for a few reps, if needed. Wheeler was just called up from the practice squad this week and has not appeared in an NFL game this season.

As for the defensive side of the ball, defensive ends Ziggy Ansah (neck) and Quinton Jefferson (ankle) are also both questionable for Sunday. Jadeveon Clowney (ankle), who was a full participant on Friday despite limited work during the week, is expected to suit up against the Packers.

With all three defensive ends still banged up, rookie L.J. Collier, who was inactive against the Eagles, may hear his number called this weekend.

Here’s a look at the full injury reports for Seattle and Green Bay.

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