49ers Acquire OLB Jordan Willis From Jets
The San Francisco 49ers have acquired outside linebacker Jordan Willis and a 2021 seventh-round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Willis, a former Big-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, has not had much success in his short NFL career compared to his tenure in college.
Through the 43 games that he has played in, Willis has totaled 52 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hits and just three sacks.
This obviously isn't a blockbuster trade of any sorts nor should there be this big expectation that Willis will suddenly blossom with the 49ers.
What seems clear about this acquisition for the 49ers is that they can now kick Arik Armstead back inside on passing downs as opposed to leaving him on the edge. Armstead drastically excels as a pass rusher at the interior compared to the outside.
Yes, he has been doing a solid job out there, but the 49ers want to utilize him where he is most dangerous.
So essentially the 49ers brought on Willis to indirectly improve their pass rush production. And who knows, defensive line coach Kris Kocurek could get Willis kickstarted in the coming weeks. The guy is a pass-rushing whisperer after all and squeezes whatever talent every player has in his unit.
This trade, however, is still yet to be finalized.
Willis still has to go through a physical and pass. Not to mention he needs to go through COVID-19 protocols, so there is still quite a bit of hurdles before this transaction can go through.
