49ers' Kyle Shanahan Offers Disappointing Update on Key Player

The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with plenty of injuries over the last year. Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy, and George Kittle are just some of the key players who have had to miss time.

One of the other notable injuries happened to Mykel Williams. Williams started nine games as a rookie before suffering a torn ACL. That was a big blow, as the 49ers ended up having the league’s most disappointing pass rush in 2025.

Ahead of the 2026 season, Williams is set to be a key piece once again- that is, if he gets healthy. Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently offered an update on the young edge rusher, and it wasn’t that promising.

Williams Not Likely to Play in Week 1

The 49ers have quite the road trip for their Week 1 game. The 49ers are playing the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, in a game that could end up making a difference in the late-season playoff race.

It would be nice to have all key players available, but it doesn’t sound like Shanahan expects to have Williams.

“We do think he’s close,” Shanahan said. “I do think Week 1 would be a long shot, but we haven’t ruled it out yet. He’s progressing really well.”

Shanahan said he’s not ruling Williams out, but in the same breath, referred to his chances as “a long shot.” If the coach is willingly saying he’s a long shot, I’m going to go ahead and take that as a lock that Williams won’t be on the field.

It’s not that surprising, but there was some help that Williams would be an outlier. The average recovery time for an ACL tear is nine to 12 months, and Williams is at the nine-month mark. Williams also had some meniscus damage, which will only add to his recovery time.

Now, it seems likely that Williams will begin his season on the PUP list. That way, the edge rusher would be out for the first four games and wouldn’t have to worry about rushing back. It would be disappointing to not have Williams for the first month, but that’s a better option than rushing back and possibly reaggravating the injury.

Who Will Step Up in Williams’ Place?

It will be interesting to see if anyone can step up in Williams’ absence. Rookie Romello Height and veteran Keion White are the top contenders to take on a larger role.

It also helps that Bosa (should be) fully healthy. The unit was horrible when Williams went out in 2025, but they were without Bosa at all. This year, the team just has to get through a month or so before hopefully being at full strength the rest of the way.