49ers Claim Takk McKinley

3:16pm: This time, the 49ers’ claim went through. They landed McKinley through waivers Wednesday afternoon, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The 49ers have a Week 11 bye, which will allow the veteran defensive end to go through COVID-19 protocols and practice — provided he passes a physical — next week.

9:32am: The 49ers will take another shot at Takkarist McKinley, head coach Kyle Shanahan says (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports). The Niners were among the clubs who submitted waiver claims for the defensive end when he was first dropped by the Falcons. 

[RELATED: Bengals Waive Takk McKinley]

On the first go ’round, the Bengals had the highest waiver priority of the bunch and snagged McKinley. His time in Cincinnati was short-lived – the Bengals released him after he failed his physical with the team. In addition to the Bengals, the 49ers, Browns, and Raiders also submitted claims — the 4-6 49ers have the highest priority of that group, so they should be poised to add him to the roster before the end of the business day.

Injuries have depleted the 49ers’ once-formidable defensive line. Without Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas for the rest of the year (and possibly Dee Ford), McKinley represents their best chance to salvage things and put the pressure on opposing QBs.

McKinley has 17.5 career sacks to his credit, though just one of those came in 2020 season. The UCLA product registered 13 sacks over his first two seasons. Since 2019, he’s logged just 4.5 in total. On the flipside, the first-round pick did notch seven QB hits in just 85 snaps this year.

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