The San Francisco 49ers waived tight end Brayden Willis, per the NFL’s transaction wire. That was the corresponding move to make room on the roster for long snapper Jon Weeks, who was promoted from the practice squad. The team also officially signed Khalid Kareem, while placing Sam Okuayinonu on the Injured Reserve.

In hindsight, it was always a puzzling decision to keep Willis over rookie undrafted free agent Bryson Eason. The odds that Willis, who has been on and off the roster for a couple of seasons now, would have made it through waivers felt much higher than Eason’s.

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Eason put too much good film on tape during preseason, which made it seem like he’d be worth developing. Willis had a couple of impressive blocks, but on a down-to-down basis, it was unlikely that he was going to contribute in any fashion.

The 49ers used Willis on special teams during the preseason, perhaps to see how he’d fare. He did not register a solo tackle on 32 snaps. And with Kyle Juszczyk practicing and George Kittle returning, Willis wasn’t going to step onto the field.

But you also have to factor in the roster dynamics. As much promise as Eason showed in August, you’re not going to give up on the draft picks from 2025 who also play defensive tackle. The team elected to roll with James Thompson, the other undrafted free agent defensive tackle, over Eason, who fell victim to a numbers game.

It’s another sign of how brutal a business this can be, if you’re Willis. You just made the 16-hour trip to Australia. You’re mentally preparing yourself for Week 1 and soaking it all in, only to get bad news less than a week before kicking off.