At one point, Ian Williams appeared to be long-term building block for the San Francisco 49ers. On Thursday, the defensive tackle was released by the club.
The #49ers waived DL Ian Williams, who once appeared headed to a FA contract with them, from Injured Reserve.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 27, 2016
What’s most shocking about this move is that not too long ago, Williams was set to be a fixture with the 49ers.
In March, Williams signed a five-year deal with the club. That deal was later nullified (and eventually reworked) because of an ankle injury.
Williams’ departure gives San Francisco only a select few players from the teams that made three straight NFC Championship games, and Super Bowl XLVII. He played only sparingly, but was on the team from 2011-13.
Williams started nine games for the 49ers in 2014 and all 16 in 2015.
Williams had been on injured reserved for the entire 2016 season.