49ers roster: Jordan Willis on the bubble despite impressing last year

The 49ers have received underappreciated performances from Jordan Willis, yet he might be a victim of the numbers game when it comes to the 2022 roster.

The San Francisco 49ers have done what neither the Cincinnati Bengals nor New York Jets could: turn defensive end Jordan Willis into a quality player.

Not a Pro Bowler, not an elite pass-rusher. Just a quality player. And that’s fine for the Bengals’ original third-round pick out of Kansas State in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Known for his speed and athleticism out of college, Willis finding a home with the Niners after that mid-2020 trade with the Jets helped launch the portion of his career where he’s had the most success, notching 5.5 sacks over 17 regular-season games with San Francisco in contrast to the mere three he had prior to being traded.

Jordan Willis Defense & Fumbles Table
				Game	Game	Def	Def	Fumb	Fumb		Tack	Tack	Tack	Tack	Tack
Year	Age	Tm	No.	G	GS	Int	PD	FF	FR	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits
2017	22	CIN	75	16	1					1.0	25	17	8	4	2
2018	23	CIN	75	16	1	0	1	0	1	1.0	20	15	5	4	5
2019	24	NYJ	60	9	0			1	0	1.0	7	4	3	0	2
2020	25	2TM		9	0			0	1	2.5	13	7	6	2	5
		NYJ	55	2	0			0	1	0.0
		SFO	78	7	0					2.5	13	7	6	2	5
2021	26	SFO	94	10	0			1	0	3.0	15	6	9	2	5
Career	Career			60	2	0	1	2	2	8.5	80	49	31	12	19
2 yr	2 yr	CIN		32	2	0	1	0	1	2.0	45	32	13	8	7
2 yr	2 yr	NYJ		11	0			1	1	1.0	7	4	3	0	2
2 yr	2 yr	SFO		17	0			1	0	5.5	15	6	15	4	10

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 7/30/2022.

Despite Willis being slapped with a six-game suspension for a PED violation ahead of the 2021 season, and in light of the 49ers getting EDGE Nick Bosa back after he tore his ACL early in 2020, Willis nevertheless enjoyed his most productive year as a pro.

And who could forget his block on that punt versus the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs, which was recovered by the Niners for a touchdown?

Despite all that, Willis might not be on San Francisco’s roster much longer.

What needs to work in Jordan Willis’ favor to hang around with 49ers

The 49ers appreciated Willis for his speed, and when both Bosa and no-longer-with-San Francisco EDGE Dee Ford were both out with injuries, Willis could help provide that.

Bosa is back, and the 49ers have effectively replaced Ford with 2022 rookie pass-rusher Drake Jackson, who’ll receive far more attention and investment from the Niners than Willis moving forward.

In light of just how deep San Francisco’s defensive line is heading into the new season, Willis will have to wholly outshine many of the other linemen the team has on its roster, potentially names like Kerry Hyder, Charles Omenihu and possibly even Kemoko Turay.

However, injuries have already started to work in Willis’ favor, namely with defensive lineman Maurice Hurst likely to miss the year with a torn biceps injury.

That should help the 27-year-old Willis’ chances a bit more.

What Jordan Willis has working against him in 49ers training camp

As noted, Jackson is going to draw a lot more interest from the 49ers. Despite Willis’ success under defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, allowing Jackson more developmental reps in training camp is something that’ll likely pan out.

Willis isn’t poised to take over a starting role over someone like Samsom Ebukam, and one could argue either Omenihu or Hyder would be safer bets, given their stronger abilities against the run. And those two players also offer some positional flexibility to move inside the defensive front, whereas Willis is a bit more limited.

Those are valuable, yes. But the Niners have plenty of other options, and they may appreciate the versatility to help guard against injuries.

Chances Jordan Willis makes 49ers’ 53-man roster in 2022

San Francisco brought Willis back on a highly affordable one-year, $1.11 million deal during the offseason, yet there’s nothing in guaranteed money and the 49ers would be on the hook for zero in dead cap if he ends up failing to make the 53-man roster.

From a financial perspective, Willis is squarely on the bubble.

Behind Bosa, the pass-rushing pecking order likely goes to Ebukam, Turay and then Jackson in that order, mixing in either Hyder or Omenihu as flexible-but-slower pieces if necessary.

Where Willis falls into the mix will be an interesting watch, as he could feasibly be level with Jackson right now and could see ample time early in the season as a rotational pass-rusher but eventually loses snaps to the rookie as the year draws on.

That is, of course, if Willis does enough during camp and the preseason to justify a roster spot.

It’s a precarious situation for the veteran, so however he winds up looking between now and Week 1 will go a long way towards determining his immediate future.

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