The 49ers are adding another piece to the defensive line as they continue to battle injuries.
San Francisco is signing defensive tackle Nick Williams, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area's Jennifer Lee Chan on Tuesday night before the team made it official Wednesday morning. Williams is likely a replacement for Kalia Davis, who will undergo knee surgery Thursday and is expected to miss half of the 2024 NFL regular season.
Former NFL quarterback and media personality Chase Daniel was first to report San Francisco is adding Williams, noting he will join the team on a one-year contract.
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Williams, a seventh-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, is entering his 12th professional season after spending time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and, most recently, the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023.
The 34-year-old appeared in 14 games with the Chargers last season and started six of them, recording one sack and two fumble recoveries to go with 32 tackles -- 16 solo and seven for loss.
Williams celebrated the news with a social media post Tuesday -- and certainly appears excited to join the 49ers.
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Williams will be reunited with his former Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who now serves as an assistant on 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's staff. Staley and Williams also spent time together in Chicago, where the defensive guru was an outside linebackers coach from 2017 to 2018.
Davis, meanwhile, played 30 snaps in the 49ers’ preseason opener and was on his way toward earning a roster spot, but the morning after San Francisco's loss in Tennessee, it was discovered he had structural damage behind his kneecap.
“I thought it was one of his best games,” Shanahan said Monday of Davis. “It was really unfortunate. He played awesome throughout the whole game. That’s why he and us were real surprised that he had such a tough injury.
“It’s a setback but he had such a good camp, such a good game, he’s in a good spot to bounce back.”
It's likely the 49ers will carry Davis on the initial 53-man roster then place him on injured reserve, allowing him to rejoin the team later in the season.
San Francisco's newest addition, Williams, will get a chance to prove himself on his new team in Week 2 of the preseason, when the 49ers take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
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