49ers cornerback K’Waun Williams replaces Ahkello Witherspoon on 2020 Pro Bowl ballot

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman petitioned this week to have teammate and nickel cornerback K'Waun Williams added to the Pro Bowl ballot. And by "petition," I mean he posted the following on Twitter.

Sherman asks, and he receives. His fellow defensive back has indeed been added to the ballot, replacing cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who has not played since suffering a foot sprain during Week 3.

Sherman and Williams are now the two cornerbacks representing the 49ers on the ballot.

Click here to vote for the players you want to be part of the 2020 Pro Bowl.

Williams has 31 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles this season. The two forced fumbles came during Monday night's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Williams' overall Pro Football Focus grade of 85.8 ranks fourth among qualifying cornerbacks, and he is allowing a passer rating of 67.6 when targeted.

On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan discussed the decision to sign Williams upon becoming the 49ers' head coach in 2017. Shanahan and Williams were together for one season in Cleveland when the former was the offensive coordinator there.

"It was, one, that I definitely remember him well from that year and how good he was for us, but it was also the relationship (former 49ers defensive backs coach) Jeff Hafley had with him," Shanahan said. "Hafley was there when I was in Cleveland. He was the DB coach there. Hafley recruited K'Waun out of high school, so he's known him forever. He's the one who got K'Waun to come to our rookie tryout camp in Cleveland, and it was a good rookie tryout camp.

"I remember we had (Bears WR) Taylor Gabriel make it as a tryout on offense, and we had K'Waun make it on defense. It was cool to have two tryout guys this that year who both ended up being starters in Nickel situations.

"I knew how well he played for us and hadn't seen him for a couple years. I know he had injuries, and he was out of the league for, I think, a year, and then I remember Hafley telling us he was healthy. Once we found that out, we brought him in on a visit and signed him."