Tag: Trent Williams

49ers place 3 more players on Reserve/COVID-19 list

The 49ers now have 7 players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The number of 49ers on the Reserve/COVID-19 list grew by three Friday according to a release from the team.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams went on the list for a second time. Tight end Daniel Helm also went on.

Aiyuk and Williams first went on there a day before the 49ers’ Week 9 Thursday night showdown vs. the Packers. They were both off the Friday after the game. Now they’ll go on the list a second time, joining wide receiver Kendrick Bourne among the players to go on the Reserve/COVID-19 list twice this season.

Seven 49ers are currently on the list as their Week 11 Bye wraps up. C Hroniss Grasu, linebacker Joe Walker, defensive linemen Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw are also on the list.

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Re-signing Trent Williams won’t be a hard choice for 49ers

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t mince words when talking about 2021 free agent Trent Williams.

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The 49ers have a slew of free agency decisions to make next offseason. Perhaps their biggest, in multiple ways, will be left tackle Trent Williams. He’s on the final year of his contract and opted not to work out an extension prior to this season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Tuesday didn’t make it sound like it’ll be much of a decision for the team.

“Trent knows how I feel about him and how our whole team feels about him. I think Trent feels the same, so hopefully it makes sense for him to stay here and I know it makes sense for us,” Shanahan said. “That’s the tough part about this league. We’ve got a lot of good players and we’ve worked real hard to build our roster up and that’s why we’ve had to make tough decisions last year and we’re going to have to do it again this year, but everything’s tied together. I know Trent is very important to me and very important to our team and someone I want around here for a while.”

Among the 49ers players set to hit free agency this offseason are Williams, Richard Sherman, Kyle Juszczyk and K’Waun Williams.

San Francisco knew this was coming when they traded a 2020 fifth-round selection and a 2021 third-round choice to Washington for Williams during the 2020 draft. He had one-year left on his deal, and he chose to play out his contract rather than trying to get an extension done before the year.

His patience is paying off. Through 10 weeks he’s Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded tackle, and he’s allowed just two pressures and no sacks since Week 5.

The big left tackle will surely reset the market at one of the most important positions on offense. San Francisco may have to do some maneuvering to fit Williams’ deal under the deflated salary cap, but the decision to keep him in the Bay Area shouldn’t be a hard one.

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Trent Williams has been NFL’s best OT this season

49ers left tackle Trent Williams is the NFL’s best according to Pro Football Focus.

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The 49ers couldn’t have done better in replacing retired left tackle Joe Staley. That’s literally the case according to football analytics site Pro Football Focus. They have 49ers left tackle Trent Williams graded as the best offensive tackle in the NFL through nine weeks.

Here’s what the list looks like per PFF:

Trent Williams, SF, 89.8
Garrett Bolles, DEN, 89.6
David Bakhtiari, GB, 89.0
Andrew Whitworth, LAR, 86.3
Duane Brown, SEA, 85.6

Perhaps the most impressive part of Williams’ high grade is the fact he got there after an uncharacteristically slow start after the 49ers acquired him from Washington on Day 3 of the draft for a 2020 fifth-round pick and a 2021 third-round selection.

He missed all of the 2019 season due to a contract dispute and then a cancerous growth on his head that had to be removed, and his numbers in the early going reflected perhaps a little rust for the seven-time Pro Bowler.

Williams through five weeks allowed four sacks and eight pressures. The four sacks were more than he’d allowed in the previous three seasons combined, and were the most he’d allowed in a season since 2013. He’s been lights out since Week 5 though. In his last three contests he’s allowed neither a pressure nor sack.

Along with reaching elite levels as a pass blocker, he’s been outstanding in the run game as well where his athleticism is still apparent even at Age 32.

There were some signs early on that perhaps the 49ers may want to look elsewhere for an anchor of their offensive line beyond this season. Now Williams looks like the best left tackle in the game and should be a foundational piece of San Francisco’s offensive line for the foreseeable future.

49ers place Trent Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel on Reserve/COVID-19 list

The 49ers placed Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Some fallout from Kendrick Bourne’s positive COVID-19 test came down Wednesday evening when NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported left tackle Trent Williams, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and wide receiver Deebo Samuel were all found to be close contacts with Bourne. All three players were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and will not be available for Thursday Night Football vs. the Green Bay Packers.

Bourne on Wednesday was moved to the Reserve/COVID-19 list following a positive test. He’ll remain there until he passes through COVID-19 protocol and is deemed healthy enough to return.

Samuel was already out with a hamstring injury, but Williams and Aiyuk were expected to play.

Williams has been dominant at left tackle after a rocky start to the year. He’s allowed neither a pressure nor a sack since Week 5. Justin Skule figures to slide in at left tackle for him. Skule, a 2019 sixth-round pick, played in 15 games with eight starts last season.

Aiyuk was expected to be the team’s top receiver with both Samuel and Bourne unavailable. He had 16 receptions for 206 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks while putting together a very strong first half to his rookie campaign.

San Francisco’s receiving corps was already thin. Now the situation at that position is dire. Richie James Jr. is questionable with an ankle injury. Trent Taylor is the only other receiver on the active roster. River Cracraft, undrafted rookie Chris Finke and Kevin White are the three healthy options on the practice squad. Rookie seventh-round pick Jauan Jennings is on the Practice Squad/Injured list.

The odds for a 49ers victory were already long. A successful offensive evening against Green Bay on Thursday night will take perhaps the best coaching job of Kyle Shanahan’s career.

49ers injury report: Trent Williams returns to practice

The 49ers got good news on the injury front with left tackle Trent Williams, but there’s no guarantee he’ll play vs. the Patriots.

The 49ers on Thursday had left tackle Trent Williams back in practice after he missed Wednesday’s session with an ankle injury.

San Francisco is already dealing with a slew injuries on defense and may not have running back Raheem Mostert nor center Ben Garland for the foreseeable future. Losing Williams, who’s been playing well this season, would’ve been a particularly significant blow to the offensive line that finally got its bearings against the Rams.

There’s no guarantee Williams plays Sunday against the Patriots, but a limited Thursday session is progress toward his availability on game day. Either way, we may not know until Sunday when Williams has a chance to test his ankle.

Here’s the full practice report for Thursday:

Did not participate

LB Kwon Alexander (ankle)
RB Raheem Mostert (ankle)
S Jaquiski Tartt (groin)

Limited participation

OT Trent Williams (ankle)
RB Jeff Wilson (calf)

Full participation

CB Dontae Johnson (groin)

Watch: 49ers’ Trent Williams annihiliates Arizona Cardinal defender

Trent Williams delivered a crushing block on Arizona’s Jordan Hicks.

The San Francisco 49ers were gleeful when they landed offensive tackle Trent Williams in a trade with the Washington Football Team.

If anyone needed to be reminded why check out the bulldozing Williams did to an Arizona Cardinal in the first half Sunday.

The player being run over was linebacker Jordan Hicks, who is in his second season with the Cardinals.

Williams went to Oklahoma, so score that as a major point for the Sooners in a Red River destruction.

Forget pancake, that’s the entire pancake house.

Four 49ers who have gone more than 600 days since last game will play vs. Cardinals

Trent Williams, Jerick McKinnon, Trent Taylor and Jerick McKinnon will all return to the field Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers are on a redemption tour after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. A quartet of players on their roster are on something of a redemption tour of their own.

Offensive tackle Trent Williams, tight end Jordan Reed, wide receiver Trent Taylor and running back Jerick McKinnon should all suit up and play for San Francisco in Sunday’s season opener vs. the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. As ESPN’s Nick Wagoner pointed out on Twitter, none of those four player have played a regular-season game in the last 600-plus days.

Williams and Taylor have both gone 623 days since they last played in the regular season. For Reed it’s been 644 days. McKinnon is at a whopping 966 days.

Both Williams and Taylor both played in their teams’ 2018 season finales. Williams went on to miss all of 2019 due to a cancerous growth on his skull. Taylor suffered a Jones fracture before the first preseason game last year and wound up missing the entire season.

Reed was active for Washington’s Week 14 game in 2018, but a toe strain in that Week 14 contest sidelined him for the rest of the year. He was on track to return last season before a concussion – his seventh – in a preseason game vs. the Falcons forced him to sit out the season.

McKinnon’s story is a familiar one for 49ers fans. He signed with San Francisco before the 2018 season to be a focal point of their offense. A torn ACL a week before the regular season was set to begin ended his year. Complications with that surgically repaired ACL in last year’s training camp required another surgery that ended his 2019 campaign. He hasn’t played since Week 17 of the 2017 season.

Now all four are aiming for a different story this year. They’re all fully healthy and went through training camp without any major issues. If Williams, Taylor, Reed and McKinnon can stay healthy and effective this season – they’ll get their redemption while working as vital pieces in the 49ers quest for their own.

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2 49ers named among players who should land on ESPN top 100 in 2021

The 49ers were well-represented in ESPN’s top 100 NFL players for 2020, and they gave two options who could be on the list next year.

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Four 49ers were named in ESPN’s predicted top 100 players for the 2020 NFL season. Jimmy Garoppolo was not among them. Neither were Deebo Samuel or Fred Warner. They could certainly be there next season. Further analysis of the list from ESPN pointed to a pair of different 49ers who didn’t make this year’s edition of the top 100 but could be there next year.

A group of analysts were asked to pick a lock for the 2021 top 100, and Mina Kimes picked 49ers left tackle Trent Williams.

“San Francisco’s signing of Williams was probably one of the most underrated moves of the NFL offseason,” Kimes wrote. “How often do you replace your elite left tackle with … another elite left tackle? I expect Williams to thrive as a key cog in a very good offensive line and to remind everyone that he’s still one of the best pass protectors in the NFL.”

The 49ers acquired Williams from Washington on Day 3 of this year’s draft in response to long-time left tackle Joe Staley informing the club of his retirement. Getting a seven-time Pro Bowler for a fifth-round pick this year and a third-round pick next year is already a steal on the surface. It’ll be an even greater steal if he’s still one of the best players in the NFL at a premium position.

Williams missed all of last year after a holdout and a cancerous growth on his head pushed him out for the entire season. Rust hasn’t been much of a factor in camp though. Reports out of camp are that Williams looks like his old self while matched up against Nick Bosa. If he’s that good in the regular season – he’s a lock to make the top 100 and finish well inside the top 50.

Another question the panel of analysts were asked to ponder was which 2020 NFL draft pick would be on next year’s top 100 list. Matt Bowen chose 49ers first-round pick Javon Kinlaw.

“Chase Young should be mentioned here. Joe Burrow, too. But I want to focus on Kinlaw because of how the 49ers scheme on the defensive line to create pressure,” Bowen wrote. “With multiple fronts and alignments, San Francisco can utilize interior stunts to create open rush lanes and favorable one-on-one matchups. That caters to Kinlaw’s raw play-strength and athleticism, which will put the rookie in a position to generate disruptive plays.”

A Kinlaw rookie campaign that lands him among the NFL’s 100 best players for next year probably means the 49ers are back in the Super Bowl. Early returns on the No. 14 overall pick have been relatively lukewarm. He’s struggled to consistently get free as a pass rusher in camp, leaving some who attended camp to believe he’ll only be a two-down player early in his career.

It’s all but impossible to imagine Kinlaw making a top-100 list if he is relegated to run-stopping duties. However, if Bowen is on the mark and San Francisco’s scheme frees up Kinlaw to dominate the way he did in college, he could wind up having a pretty big season on a stout 49ers defensive line. Getting into the top 100 would mean racking up big-time stats though. Two or three sacks probably doesn’t get it done, but if Kinlaw gets upwards of seven, it’s hard to believe the 49ers aren’t dominant again with Kinlaw getting a lot of credit for it.

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Trent Williams: Nick Bosa on track to be NFL’s best pass rusher

Trent Williams said Nick Bosa could be the NFL’s best defensive end.

Going up against 49ers second-year defensive end Nick Bosa didn’t allow Trent Williams much time to re-acclimate after missing all of last season. Any rust the left tackle had accumulated had to come off quick when facing off against the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year in practice.

Bosa racked up 80 pressures in the regular season last year and 9.0 sacks. He also had an interception, a forced fumble and 16 tackles for loss. Williams was aware of Bosa’s dominance last year, but getting up-close experience made him raise the bar for the young defensive end.

“Nick, he’s better than I already thought he was, and I knew he was top three, four in the game,” Williams said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “But just going up against him every day, seeing how smart he is, seeing how hard he works, and seeing just how seriously he takes the game, I honestly see his trajectory as being one of the best in the game.”

He went on to explain how high Bosa’s ceiling is:

“When it’s all said and done, when you say who’s the best pass-rusher, all-around D-end, I think Nick Bosa may be the first name that comes out of a lot of people’s mouth.”

It’s worth noting that Bosa hasn’t necessarily dominated the matchup, which speaks to the level Williams is playing in his return. He was one of the best left tackles in the league before missing last season, and his performance against Bosa shows he’s still in that conversation. The fact he has so much praise for the former No. 2 pick points to an encore performance from him that eclipses what he did in Year 1.

The ceiling for Bosa is extremely high, and as long as he’s playing at a high level on the edge, San Francisco’s defense should be among the NFL’s best.

49ers training camp takeaways: Trent Williams is good at football

Trent Williams vs. Nick Bosa is shaping up as one of the key battles for the 49ers in training camp.

Rust hasn’t been a factor for 49ers left tackle Trent Williams in his first live action since the 2018 season. He excelled against reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa during Thursday’s practice according to reporters on site.

Williams had four one-on-one matchups against Bosa and got the better of the defensive end three of the four times per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. Bosa was one of the NFL’s best defensive ends last season — racking up 80 regular-season pressures and another 15 in three postseason games. His 9.0 sacks were the second-most among 49ers.

San Francisco acquired Williams from Washington on Day 3 of this year’s draft. He missed all of 2019 due to a holdout and then the removal of a dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans — a cancerous growth — on his head.

There was some concern about Williams’ ability to return to peak form after a full season off at Age 31. Early returns indicate rust won’t be a factor though since Bosa is among the early favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year. While their matchups in camp are mostly inconsequential, they appears to show two of the best players in the league at their positions going at it.

Having one of the NFL’s best left tackles and one of the NFL’s best defensive ends would put San Francisco in a good position to put together another Super Bowl run.

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