49ers make roster moves in Melbourne, promote veteran and waive tight end
“The team signed veteran long snapper Jon Weeks from its practice squad to the active roster, making him eligible to play in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
To make room for Weeks, the 49ers waived tight end Brayden Willis. The team selected Willis in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft.”
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49ers waive Brayden Willis to make room for their long snapper
“In hindsight, it was always a puzzling decision to keep Willis over rookie undrafted free agent Bryson Eason. The odds that Willis, who has been on and off the roster for a couple of seasons now, would have made it through waivers felt much higher than Eason’s.
Eason put too much good film on tape during preseason, which made it seem like he’d be worth developing. Willis had a couple of impressive blocks, but on a down-to-down basis, it was unlikely that he was going to contribute in any fashion.
The 49ers used Willis on special teams during the preseason, perhaps to see how he’d fare. He did not register a solo tackle on 32 snaps. And with Kyle Juszczyk practicing and George Kittle returning, Willis wasn’t going to step onto the field.”
4 veteran free agents who would immediately help 49ers 2 roster issues
“If the 49ers aren’t going to add more pass rush help on the edges, adding it to the interior could be another solution. [Denico] Autry, 36, has 36 pressures and seven sacks the last two years in 405 pass rush snaps. His usefulness as an every-down player has waned as he entered his mid-30s, but there’s a good chance he’d be the 49ers’ best rotational DT option as soon as he got onto the roster. It looks like the 49ers are going to let players like Alfred Collins and CJ West figure it out in their second seasons, but they should be ready to get Autry on the phone if their depth on the defensive interior continues lacking….The 49ers should’ve signed Zeitler the minute it became clear none of Robert Jones, Connor Colby or Carver Willis were going to assert themselves as the top option at left guard. It’s worth noting Zeitler has only played right guard across his 14-year career, but it’s hard to imagine the 36-year-old would struggle with a handful of practices on the left side. Zeitler was still a productive player with the Tennessee Titans last year and having him as a starter on the O-line would all San Francisco’s depth chart to get stronger at the top with the potential starting options falling in as reserves.”
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