Mykel Williams, the San Francisco 49ers’ first-round pick from last year, just got his practice window officially opened this week after tearing his ACL last November. This dude, who started the season on the PUP list, is now gunning to make his season debut in Week 5 against OUR Seattle Seahawks.
The Niners, fresh off a Week 3 victory against the Arizona Cardinals, were looking pretty beat up. Veteran wide receiver Mike Evans, left tackle Trent Williams, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw all got dinged in that win, adding to what’s already been a rough early season for their roster. Good news for them: Shanahan confirmed Evans is day-to-day with a rib injury, noting it “shouldn’t be long-term.” Shanahan expects Evans will be evaluated throughout the week and he seems the biggest doubt for their Sunday game against the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium. Trent Williams, Shanahan expects, should be “good to go” by Thursday after sustaining a stinger. Greenlaw, who suffered a quad contusion, will also be managed through the week. So, they dodged a few bullets. Defensive end Nick Bosa (calf) and defensive tackle James Thompson Jr. (high-ankle sprain) are still out this week.
But let’s talk about that 49ers defensive front, because that’s where things get interesting. They just signed veteran Matthew Judon to their practice squad on Monday. More importantly, rookie defensive end Romello Height, a third-round pick, is also set to return to practice this week. He missed the Cardinals game because of a broken hand, but was playing a solid 52% of their defensive snaps through the first two weeks. Those guys are coming back to a run defense that’s been, well, “inconsistent at best” is being incredibly generous. San Francisco ranks a measly 14th in EPA per play against the rush through three games, and they are DEAD LAST in the entire NFL with a pathetic 49.4 success rate allowed on run plays. Mykel Williams’ prospective return, even if he needs time to knock off the rust, is going to be a particularly big boost to a 49er run defense that’s been struggling.
The Niners are heading into what their coach called a “formidable two-game stretch,” starting with those Denver Broncos this Sunday. But mark your calendars, 12s, because we’ve got our eyes firmly on Week 5. That’s when Mykel Williams is on track to make his season debut against… you guessed it, OUR Seattle Seahawks. Our boys just battled it out against the Washington Commanders, falling in a tough one, 31-33. Getting ready for this Niners D, even with a returning Williams and Height, could be what we need to get our own run game firing. Let’s make sure we show them exactly what a REAL Emerald City ground attack looks like.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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