Former San Francisco 49ers tight end Brayden Willis went unclaimed on waivers following his release from the 53-man roster Saturday. He's now an unrestricted free agent.
It stands to reason the 49ers will work to bring Willis back to their practice squad where they have a vacancy after promoting long snapper Jon Weeks.
Willis was a seventh-round pick of the 49ers in the 2023 draft who landed on the initial 53-man roster. He made the trip to Australia only to be waived a couple days after their arrival to clear a spot for Weeks, who was residing on the practice squad following some roster gymanstics by the 49ers at final cuts.
With tight end George Kittle making the trip and presumably healthy, the 49ers had the clearance to let Willis hit the waiver
wire. If they bring him back to the practice squad he'll be able to continue practicing with the team in Melbourne, and they wouldn't need to open a practice squad spot to bring him in since San Francisco has 16 of their 17 practice squad spots filled.
Willis in three seasons has played in 23 games as a pro, primarily on special teams. He has 357 special teams snaps under his belt and 86 offensive snaps − 48 of which came in his rookie season. Willis has yet to log a reception on three targets with the 49ers.
More 49ers: 49ers QB, HC rank among the NFL's top duos in 2026
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Former 49ers TE clears waivers, could return to practice squad
