49ers Veteran Suddenly Trending Toward Starting Role

So, unless Williams is back immediately, every day seems to speak to how long into the season he will miss. The odds are the 49ers will leave him on the PUP, and he will miss six games. A young player who has potential is going to be eased back, and the timing of the injury makes a return around Week 6 logical. 

The other name expected to compete with Okuayinonu is Keion White. White has missed the past couple of weeks with an adductor injury. White is not good enough to come in fresh off of an injury and start over Okuayinonu. The two were likely going to compete or rotate snaps as they had been. White has a few weeks to get healthy, but right now his Week 1 role looks like rotational snaps if he is healthy. 

Romello Height will make the team, but the rookie is expected to be a pass rush specialist, and he showed in his NFL debut that there is still work to be done there. He will play rotationally in Week 1.

The rest of the room is filled with players hoping to make the roster due to the lack of depth. The 49ers held Okuayinonu out with the rest of the starters in the preseason opener. He will likely play with the starters in Week 2 of the preseason. Everything shows that the player who had to start 12 games due to injuries last year is on track to start in Week 1 due to injuries this year.