Why 49ers fans should be excited about new addition Ansah

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Major injuries to both Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas forced the 49ers to pick up a pass rusher on Monday, as the team agreed to terms with Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah on a one-year contract. The No. 5 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft joins the 49ers after recording 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 11 games with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019.

So, why should 49ers fans be excited about the addition of Ansah to the defensive line?

Well for one, he possesses incredible speed, as you can see in this remarkable chasedown of Adrian Peterson.

The 49ers have had conversations with Ansah prior to Monday’s signing, but the injuries along the D-line made bringing him in a priority for Week 3.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport joined KNBR's "Murph & Mac" on Monday morning, and said Ansah is much closer to game shape now than he was last season in Seattle.

"Played for the Seahawks last year; didn't play well," Rapoport said (h/t 49ersWebZone). "But also couldn't train because he was coming off a torn labrum. So, when they got him, he was like 260 pounds. He's up to 280 now. So, he's in a much better situation now with the 49ers than he was with the Seahawks last year."

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Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the 49ers signed Ansah in his press conference Monday, saying he’s excited to get the 31-year-old on the roster.

"I played against Ziggy a ton," Shanahan said. "He's a hell of a player who can rush the passer and play the run well. Hopefully, we get him in here soon and get him caught up. We were going to try to do it anyways, but the urgency of that has definitely gone up with some of the injuries that we've had in the last 24 hours."

If Ansah can recapture some of that athleticism that made him such a highly touted prospect coming out of BYU, he could lessen the potential blow if Bosa and Thomas are ruled out for the remainder of the season.

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