49ers OLB Mykel Williams, Others Likely To Miss Opener

One of those players is second-year outside linebacker Mykel Williams. Head coach Kyle Shanahan informed the media this week that, though Williams “is progressing well” from the torn ACL that ended his rookie season, he’s currently “a longshot” to be ready for Week 1 (via Vic Tafur of The Athletic). As promising as that short-term update sounds, Dylan Grausz of NBC Sports reports that “there is…no timetable for his return to action.” San Francisco’s 20 sacks last year was good for dead last in the NFL, and the 49ers are counting on Williams to get healthy and outperform the one sack he delivered in nine starts last year.

Williams is expected to to return to starting duties across from veteran Nick Bosa, who is returning from an ACL injury of his own. Both Williams and Bosa were expected to return for training camp, and while Bosa was cleared for activity just in time, Williams was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list. After returning the field activities for a short period, though, Bosa has not practiced since August 3 as he deals with “soreness.” Shanahan clarified that Bosa is “battling tendinitis during rehabilitation,” something he claimed 90 percent of the team’s players have experienced in rehab, per Tafur and Matt Barrows of The Athletic.

Despite his extended absence just weeks before the start of the regular season, San Francisco doesn’t seem concerned about Bosa’s Week 1 availability. It’s sounds like the team will be cautious the rest of way, choosing to “be smart” as they evaluate take Bosa’s case on a week-to-week basis.As long as everything goes according to plan, Bosa should be lining up on the first-team defense in the 49ers’ Australia opener, but if Williams is out as expected, fourth-year pass rusher Keion White and Texas Tech rookie third-rounder Romello Height will be working across from him.

Lastly, on the defense, offseason signing Nate Hobbs will reportedly “miss a few weeks” after suffering a groin injury in a joint practice with the Titans this week, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. A 2021 fifth-round pick, Hobbs has been a strong contributor over four years in Las Vegas and one in Green Bay, starting 43 of the 62 games he’s played in. Injuries have been a nuisance for him in the past, though, as he’s only appeared in 62 of a possible 85 career games.

On offense, Tafur and Barrows report that another offseason signing, Vederian Lowe, may miss Week 1. Now, the former Patriot is not a starter on the offensive line, so his absence may not be immediately felt, but Lowe has become the 49ers’ plan for a swing tackle to back up starters Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz and fill in on overloaded lines. Lowe suffered a high-ankle sprain three weeks ago, and his availability as the regular season nears remains in question.

To end with some good news on the offense, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that star tight end George Kittle had visited renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache the day before and came away with an encouraging update. Kittle relayed that his recovery is “ahead of schedule,” giving him a legitimate chance to play in the team’s season opener in three weeks.