49ers depth chart: Jordan Willis is one free agent no one talks about

The 49ers depth chart has some serious pass-rushing needs, and defensive end Jordan Willis can be one of those options if re-signed in NFL free agency.

When one thinks of the San Francisco 49ers‘ top re-sign priorities in NFL free agency this offseason, names like left tackle Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and cornerback K’Waun Williams usually come to mind.

Not defensive end Jordan Willis.

It’s not surprising. Willis, after all, was only a supplementary player for the Niners after being acquired from the New York Jets through a midseason trade. By the time the year was done, Willis saw only 18 percent of San Francisco’s defensive snaps before landing on injured reserve on Jan. 1.

Yet there are more than a handful of reasons why the 49ers would be wise to re-sign the 25-year-old former third-round pick.

Why 49ers re-signing Jordan Willis makes sense

Teams can never have too many pass-rushers. As cliché as that sounds, it’s true enough and evidenced by the fact the Niners were awfully shorthanded in their pass-rush department last year after losing EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford to season-ending injuries early in the year.

While this did open the door for depth pass-rushers like Kerry Hyder to rise to the occasion — Hyder finished with a team- and career-best 8.5 sacks in 2020 — it also forced San Francisco to scramble for other depth options, such as former Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks EDGE Ezekiel Ansah and also Willis.

Hyder, Ansah and defensive end Ronald Blair, who remained inactive from a late-2019 ACL tear, are also all pegged for NFL free agency this offseason. Because of their previous laurels, it’s likely those three will price themselves out of the 49ers’ comfort range. With the Niners having only $12.5 million in cap space, currently according to Over the Cap, it’s likely general manager John Lynch will have to settle for some bargain-basement players to round out the team’s depth chart this offseason.

Willis fits the bill.

Jordan Willis a low-cost pass-rushing option for 49ers

While no one would jump at Willis’ 2.5 sacks over seven games played for San Francisco last season, it’s important to note that number set a career-high for the former Kansas State Wildcat.

And considering those came on a mere 183 defensive snaps, including five quarterback hits, the modest production should be more than good enough to consider for a rotational role.

So does the fact Pro Football Focus credited Willis with a 5.0 pass-rush productivity mark last season, just a 10th of a point behind high-paid 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead and also fourth best among Niners edge rushers who appeared in at least as many games as Willis saw last season.

Top-end pass-rushers are awfully expensive. Even second-tier options can cost teams between $5 million and $10 million per year, meaning those supplementary depth pieces can quickly drive up the total of a team’s salary.

That wouldn’t be the case with Willis, though, whose salary valuation from OTC was at $914,000.

The figure is more than affordable for a player who is still considerably young for his professional career.

Granted, Willis shouldn’t be asked to provide some serious pass-rushing thump. But he easily occupy the role previously filled by someone like Blair in 2019 and, just as potentially, the one Hyder managed to provide last season.

And if Willis can do it on the cheap, it’ll be that much more beneficial for San Francisco’s depth chart in 2021.