{"id":675982,"date":"2026-01-14T06:57:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/675982\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T06:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T06:57:13","slug":"brayden-willis-gets-promoted-george-kittle-officially-to-the-ir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/675982\/","title":{"rendered":"Brayden Willis gets promoted; George Kittle officially to the IR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">The San Francisco 49ers officially designated Fred Warner to return to practice, per the NFL\u2019s transaction wire. The Niners also had three visits:<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">WR Colton Dowell<br \/>DB Darrick Forrest<br \/>TE Hayden Rucci<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Dowell was a 7th-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He\u2019s 6\u20193\u201d, 212 pounds. He also ran a 4.44 40-yard dash. He was drafted by the Titans and played in every game from Weeks 11 to 17 in 2023. He spent most of his time playing special teams. It would not be surprising to see Dowell potentially take the place of Malik Turner. Dowell only had two targets as a rookie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Forrest would likely take Ji\u2019Ayir Brown\u2019s spot. Forrest, a 5th-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, played 731 snaps in his career with Washington. Most of his playing time came in 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">More importantly, Forrest played 440 snaps during his four-year stint in Washington on special teams. He feels like the type of player the 49ers would want. Forrest was in the 89th percentile for the 40-yard dash, 86th percentile in the vertical jump, 925th percentile in the broad jump, and 83rd percentile in the bench press. One of his comparisons on mockdraftable.com is Donte Whitner<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Rucci, 6\u20195\u201d, 247 pounds, was an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played in Weeks 8 through 11 this past season with the Miami Dolphins. Rucci appeared on three separate special teams units, totalling 81 snaps. He was not targeted. Rucci would be a George Kittle replacement if the 49ers don\u2019t want Brayden Willis on the active roster.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Kyle\u2019s update, 5:46 p.m. PT: The 49ers officially promoted tight end Brayden Willis to the active roster from the team\u2019s practice squad. The corresponding move was to place tight end George Kittle on the practice squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The San Francisco 49ers officially designated Fred Warner to return to practice, per the NFL\u2019s transaction wire. 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