There has been more to the San Francisco 49ers’ issues in 2024 than their injury situation, but the amount of high-level players that have been absent for extended periods because of injury is staggering.
With two All-Pros already on IR, head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday told reporters in his press conference that left tackle Trent Williams may also wind up missing the rest of the year.
“If he could get back to healthy, we’d play him,” Shanahan said when asked if the team would shut Williams down. “But, it’s not like that right now, so it’s getting closer to being that way.”
Williams is dealing with an ankle injury and hasn’t played since Week 11. He was shown on television during the Thursday Night Football broadcast in a suite at Levi’s Stadium with what looked like a scooter next to him that would help him keep weight off his injured ankle.
If Williams is done for the year, he’d join Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk as 2023 All-Pros who suffered season-ending injuries. That doesn’t account for linebacker Fred Warner who is playing through an ankle fracture, defensive end Nick Bosa who has missed three games or cornerback Charvarius Ward who missed four games because of a personal tragedy.
San Francisco still could have done things to put themselves in position to make the postseason despite the injuries. They made too many mistakes and didn’t get enough high-level performances from their star players who have been healthy. However, the absence of the top-end players on a top-heavy roster has been an issue all season and it hasn’t gotten better.
Shutting down Williams would make sense given that the 49ers are virtually eliminated from the postseason. He turns 37 before next year’s training camp, and because he’s still playing at a high level, ensuring he’s fully healthy and ready to go next season has to be a high priority for San Francisco as they wrap up a dreadful 2024 season.
