49ers meet with Ansah after latest injuries
Loss of Bosa, Thomas and Ford apparently will lure him to sign with San Francisco
Another wave of 49ers injuries, a more urgent need for defensive line help.
Ziggy Ansah will visit a third time with the 49ers and is expected to sign, following Sunday’s barrage of injuries that took out fellow defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, the NFL Network reported Monday morning.
Ansah must clear coronavirus testing upon meeting up with the 49ers in West Virginia. They flew there after Sunday’s 31-13 win over the New York Jets and are practicing this week at The Greenbrier Resort before returning to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants next Sunday.
The 49ers brought Ansah in last month at the start of training camp and again early last week but failed to make a deal. The seven-year veteran has 50 1/2
career sacks in 91 games. He played last season with the Seattle Seahawks after a six-year tenure with the Detroit Lions, where his position coach was Kris Kocurek, who holds that same role now with the 49ers.
“I’ve always been a fan of Ziggy, playing against him and stuff,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said last week. “He’s always been a real good player. With Kris
having such a good relationship with him over the years, coaching him in Detroit, we’ve always kept in touch with him.”
Bosa and Thomas are set to undergo exams today expected to confirm anterior cruciate ligament tears to their respective left knees. Defensive end Dee Ford did not play Sunday due to last week’s neck spasms.
Defensive end Dion Jordan, a six-year veteran, and defensive tackle Darrion Daniels, an undrafted rookie, are prime candidates
to come up from the practice squad as roster reinforcements.
Also injured in Sunday’s win: quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (high ankle sprain) and running backs Raheem Mostert (knee) and Tevin Coleman (knee).
Several 49ers, including Shanahan, publicly voiced concerns about MetLife Stadium’s new synthetic turf after the game, and defensive lineman Arik Armstead appealed for the NFL to intervene before they have to play on it again this Sunday.