NFL free agent Patrick Willis is reportedly "considering a comeback" to football, and would be expected to return to the San Francisco 49ers if he did, who could really use Willis back in their lineup, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
The 49ers are just 3-6 on the season, and the effect of losing star players like Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Anthony Davis, and Chris Borland is clearly hurting them on the field. San Francisco is ranked as the 27th worst defense in the NFL in terms of yards given up per game. The loss of leaders in Willis and Smith has brutally impacted their defense, as it looks nothing like what it used to be. The 49ers lost two key players in Smith and Willis, but then shockingly they lost a young linebacker in Borland who walked away for the game for safety reasons.
Novarro Bowman is San Francisco's top linebacker, but needs players around him to make the 49ers defense dominant again. Willis only played six games in his last season in the NFL, but had a career total of 732 tackles in just eight seasons. Willis is reportedly still dealing with a toe issue that plagued him his last season, but still could make an effort to return in 2016. The former 49ers linebacker said there's zero chance he would return back in March, but it's possible time has changed his mind.
The 49ers are already getting back offensive lineman Anthony Davis next season, as he has already said his retirement would be short-term and temporary, according to David Fucillo of SB Nation. With Davis returning and the possibility of Willis coming back the 49ers could have a bright future. The 49ers were in the Super Bowl three years ago, and although they are a long way from being back there, the addition of Davis and possibly Willis would clearly make them a better team.
