San Francisco 49ers turned to the free-agent market in an attempt to fill the void in their pass rush following the injuries of star defensive ends Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the 49ers agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with veteran pass rusher Ziggy Ansah.
Ansah, who spent 2019 with Seattle Seahawks, is expected to finalize the move once he gets through COVID-19 testing.
Ansah had a productive season with Seattle last year, totaling 18 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 11 games. He had a number of offers during the offseason by pass rush-needy teams but opted to wait for the right opportunity.
It looks like patience paid off for the 31-year-old, as he now has an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl contender.
“I’ve played against Ziggy a ton,” 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday, confirming interest in Ansah. “He’s a hell of a player who can rush the passer and can play the run well. Hopefully, we can get him in here soon and get him caught up. We were going to try and do it anyways, but the urgency of that certainly has gone up with the injuries we’ve had in the last 24 hours.”
Ziggy Ansah started his NFL career with Detroit Lions, who took him fifth overall in 2013’s NFL Draft. He spent six years with the organization, racking up 218 tackles and 48.0 sacks during that period. Ansah also earned one Pro Bowl selection and received Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2015 while with Lions.
