49ers will face old teammates when they battle Broncos on Sunday

The 49ers will square off against some familiar faces in Week 3 against Denver, as these Broncos used to suit up with the Niners not long ago.

There’ll be no shortage of storylines accompanying the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 3 road contest against the 1-1 Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football.

For starters, the Niners squaring off against their old nemesis from the NFC West, quarterback Russell Wilson, has already drawn plenty of headlines. And with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo getting his first start of the 2022 season in the wake of Trey Lance‘s season-ending ankle injury, that’ll surely be a discussion point, too.

However, there’s a nice little underlying storyline that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

San Francisco will be facing a number of its former players on Sunday night who are now donning the blue and orange.

Former 49ers nose tackle D.J. Jones is seeking a grudge match

One of the 49ers’ most underappreciated defenders from 2017 through 2021, nose tackle D.J. Jones made his impact felt in more than just a handful of ways, rising from a sixth-round pick to someone who recorded 133 tackles, 23 of them for a loss, seven sacks and nine quarterback hits during his five years with the Niners before inking a lucrative free-agent deal with the Broncos last offseason.

Over two games with his new squad, Jones has recorded seven tackles and a quarterback hit, but it’s safe to say Week 3 will matter a little more to him.

“Simply put, I’m going to go crazy,” Jones told the Broncos’ website. “I love that organization, but everybody, when you play your former team, it goes down.”

49ers know nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams very well

Like Jones, veteran cornerback K’Waun Williams was part of San Francisco’s massive overhaul of the roster back in 2017, one of its first free-agent signings and a player who played a key role within the secondary through the 2021 season.

Williams finished his five-year stint with the 49ers with 174 tackles, five sacks and four interceptions over 65 games played, and it’s fair to state he knows the Niners’ top receivers, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, fairly well.

Both San Francisco and Denver’s defense are tied with just 26 points allowed this season, and it’s safe to say Williams has made a positive impact within his new team’s secondary.

Read More: 4 crucial advantages Niners have over Broncos in Week 3

Other former 49ers players now suiting up with Broncos

Reserve offensive lineman Tom Compton, who emerged as the 49ers’ fill-in right tackle when starter Mike McGlinchey was lost to a season-ending quad injury halfway through 2021, also signed a free-agent deal with Denver during the offseason.

Compton is dealing with a back injury, though, and has yet to make his 2022 debut as he currently sits on the reserve/physically unable-to-perform list.

And remember nose tackle Mike Purcell? “Wyoming Mike” actually scored a preseason touchdown for the Niners way back in 2015 and spent the bulk of 2014 through early 2017 on San Francisco’s roster before eventually landing with the Broncos as a rotational defender in 2019.

The 49ers and Broncos kick off on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8:20 p.m. ET.