49ers rookie season will go down as massive question after latest injury

While the 49ers have yet to confirm it, they are mostly just waiting for a final confirmation before placing him on the season-ending IR. 

For the 49ers, it is another devastating loss. The team is down Nick Bosa and Fred Warner on defense, and neither will come back. San Francisco played this game without Bryce Huff, and they just placed Yetur Gross-Matos on the IR. When they entered the season, their top three rushers will be on the IR this week, and the fourth will be pushing to get healthy.

Fortunately, the team just added Keion White and Clelin Ferrell this week. Sam Okuayinonu and Robert Beal will have four rushers. If Huff can back, they at least have some depth. Still, these five are nothing like what the 49ers envisioned to start the season, and if they happen to lose anyone else in this spot, they will be diminished. 

Williams has not set the world on fire, but he has helped the run defense significantly, and he can do different things schematically as a pass rusher.

For Williams, the injury would close his rookie season out as a major question mark. He flashed in moments and had long spurts of play when he was hardly noticeable on the field. He could set the edge and defend the run, but he was a work in progress as a pass rusher, and was much better along the interior than he was rushing with speed from the outside. 

Now, his rookie season is over. Williams came into the NFL raw, so the thought was that it would be fine if he struggled early because he would be getting much-needed experience. Now, Williams not only did not progress, but his ability to gain experience is over. 

The timing will make it interesting to see when he can return next season. He may be on the sideline throughout all of training camp now as well, making him a massive question mark entering Year 2. It is not quite as devastating as Bosa and Warner, but it is the next worst thing.