49ers Release Tight End Brayden Willis After Traveling to Australia

The San Francisco 49ers cut tight end Brayden Willis while the team was already in Melbourne for its season-opening game. The move cleared a spot for long snapper Jon Weeks, who was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. Weeks had been the only long snapper on the roster but was not on the active list until the last-minute adjustment, leaving the team temporarily without a specialist at that position. Willis, a seventh-round pick in 2023 with under four years of NFL experience, was placed on waivers and will likely return to the United States unless another club claims him.

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Because the 49ers are playing their opener in Australia, any roster transaction carries added travel burdens. When a player is released while abroad, the franchise remains responsible for arranging and paying for the athlete’s return flight to the United States. Conversely, signing a new player requires rapid coordination of a long-haul journey; the team’s recent acquisition of Khalid Kareem from the Atlanta Falcons will involve a roughly 21-hour trip to Melbourne to join practice.

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The decision to cut Willis may reflect confidence in veteran tight end George Kittle, who recovered from an Achilles-tendon tear in January and traveled to Australia with the squad. If Kittle is deemed ready for the opening matchup, the 49ers can afford to remove a backup tight end without jeopardizing the position. Should Kittle’s status change, the team could still re-sign Willis to the practice squad and promote him on game day, preserving flexibility.

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Alongside Willis’s release, the 49ers signed defensive lineman Khalid Kareem away from the Falcons’ practice squad. This signing further illustrates the rapid roster reshaping required to field a full complement of players for the overseas game, highlighting the unique challenges NFL teams face when the season begins on another continent.

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