One Concern With 49ers OT Trent Williams Facing the Jets

Having star offensive tackle Trent Williams on hand against the Jets is tremendous for the 49ers, but not without one serious concern.

Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) blocks Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Week 1 of the 2024 regular season is finally here for the San Francisco 49ers.

They will kick things off on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets. Debuting on primetime is fitting for the 49ers as they are most talented team in football. However, they almost showed up to this week without some of that talent.

Star offensive tackle Trent Williams was closing in on a Week 1 holdout. Thankfully, it didn't get to that point. He signed his new deal with the 49ers a week ago and will be on hand for this game. Having Williams active against the Jets is tremendous for the 49ers, but not without one concern.

That one concern with Williams facing the Jets is his physical fitness. He barely started practicing again with the 49ers last week. That was only a few sessions and one walkthrough. Now, he won't be going into this game fresh off the couch. He surely was keeping in shape away from the team.

But there is a difference between that and football shape. Williams's injury risk is high because he hasn't put his body through the rigors of practice. That is why the 49ers aren't committing him to his normal workload against the Jets.

“We'll see. I'd like him to, but it's, you’ve got to watch it," said Kyle Shanahan on Williams' playing time. "We’ve got to talk to him. It's always, I haven't done this too much with a tackle, those are a little, O-Linemen are different with rotating and stuff, like skill positions and everything. But it also seems weird to just watch Trent sitting on the sideline next to us. But that's something we'll be on top of throughout the game. He'll be honest with us in how he feels."

The 49ers better not let this turn into a Christian McCaffrey situation. Meaning, that Williams is telling the coaches "no" about coming out of the game. If he is struggling in any capacity physically, then the 49ers need to pull him for a stretch. It is better to be safe now than risk him for the season.

The same goes for Brandon Aiyuk. He isn't expected to see his usual workload either. There is also the aspect of whether Williams or Aiyuk will be anywhere close to their high-level form. Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa were the last two holdouts for the 49ers and it hurt them at the start of the season.

It could easily happen to Williams and Aiyuk. Or worse, they sustain injuries from not having their bodies adjusted. The 49ers better hope these players are being honest with themselves. It is tough to imagine either player willingly taking themselves out of the game, especially if it is a battle.

But the 49ers have to protect Williams and Aiyuk from themselves. Careful monitoring is crucial to ensure they emerge from this game unscathed.