The 49ers released veteran linebacker Ezekiel Turner on Wednesday to make room on the roster for defensive tackle Nick Williams.
Turner joined the 49ers as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason on a one-year, $1.15 million contract. The contract included no guaranteed salary, as Turner was signed to compete for a spot on the special teams.
Turner appeared in 80 games over the course of six NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He started three games on defense during his career. His primary role with the Cardinals was as a key special teams player.
The 49ers decided they didn’t need Turner because they had a strong group of linebackers that included Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell, Dee Winters, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Jalen Graham, Curtis Robinson and Tatum Bethune, who was drafted in the seventh round of the draft.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is expected to miss at least the first four games of the regular season as he recovers from a torn Achilles sustained in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers signed Williams as a free agent after the club learned that defensive tackle Kalia Davis would miss about half of the regular season with a knee injury that required surgery.
Williams has played in 97 career games, including 48 starts. He recorded 157 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in his career with Kansas City, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers.
Brandon Staley, the 49ers’ new assistant head coach, was Williams’ head coach with the Chargers last season.
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