49ers' injury woes continue: Trent Williams questionable against Saints

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers knew they would be without Brock Purdy and George Kittle.

Now the status of left tackle Trent Williams is up in the air as the 49ers depart for their Week 2 road assignment in New Orleans.

Williams and wide receiver Jauan Jennings were officially listed as questionable by coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday afternoon. As expected, quarterback Brock Purdy was ruled out and will give way to Mac Jones for his 49ers’ regular season debut.

The 49ers’ backup left tackle in a difficult indoor environment is Spencer Burford, whose 29 previous NFL starts have all been at guard. Burford did play 31 snaps last season at left tackle in Week 15 against Miami after Jaylon Moore, Williams’ former backup, departed with a quadriceps injury.

Williams wasn’t practicing with his position group Friday during a brief media window, working off to the side with a trainer, though Shanahan did say that he eventually took the field for the light practice and his level of participation was listed as limited.

“He was out there for everything,” Shanahan said. “We went half speed.”

Williams did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. The 11-time Pro Bowl selection left a 17-13 win over Seattle in the opener for one snap but finished the game, although he appeared to be less than 100 percent given the pressure that was allowed on his side.

Since Williams arrived in 2020, the 49ers are 4-12 in games he has missed due to injury. Combine that with the 7-12 record they have without tight end George Kittle, who is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and they’re without two key cogs on their offense. That’s a big hit when it comes to physicality, and that’s beyond the absence of Purdy with a toe injury.

Last season, Williams was limited to 10 games due to an ankle injury. He hasn’t played a full season since 2013 when he played all 16 games for Washington.

Jennings (shoulder) was limited at practice but at one point dunked the football over the crossbar after catching a pass during warmups.

Shanahan said he’s confident in Burford, should the need arise at tackle.

“I think Spence has done a hell of a job for us whether it’s been at guard or tackle,” Shanahan said. “He’s always been an emergency tackle since he’s been here, but getting all reps he’s gotten throughout OTAs and training camp, I think he’s gotten better each day. I think he’s made to play that position and he’ll be ready.”

Players who were removed from the injury list altogether were left guard Ben Bartch (knee/elbow), running back Jordan James (finger) and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee).

Bourne’s availability

The verbiage is pretty much the same, but the 49ers have added a lot to their offense under Shanahan since wide receiver Kendrick Bourne in 2020. He played the last five years with the New England Patriots.

“Just another opportunity presented itself and I wanted to do some other things,” Bourne said of leaving in free agency after that season. “Went away for a bit, and it was good. I learned a lot, grew a lot, matured a lot, developed a lot, to come back kind of how I am now, and I’m excited to be back where it all started and go off of that.”

Bourne has been getting in extra time with wide receivers coach Leonard Hankerson and is making progress.

“I mean, it’s been a challenge with him just getting here, like it would be for anybody who’s new,” Shanahan said. “Him Monday compared to today, he’s getting there and he’s got another day and a half to get there and I think it’ll be good on Sunday.”

Bourne has also had extra work with Jones, a teammate in New England.

“It falls on me,” Bourne said. “If I go out there and don’t know what I’m doing, it’s because I didn’t study enough and things like that. I’m just attacking it this week and I’m excited to see what happens.”

Gross-Matos progress

Despite being out most of training camp with a knee injury, Gross-Matos got 17 snaps playing both end and tackle — more than rookies Alfred Collins (nine) and C.J. West (seven). Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh liked what he saw.

“He’s versatile in that he can play outside and inside,” Saleh said. “I do think he’s a very powerful pass rusher, but he also has great feet and athleticism to capture the edge. You kind of saw it, for a guy who hasn’t had really any practice reps or game reps, he went out there and I thought he did really well. Looking forward to seeing how he progresses over the course of the year.”

Injury epidemic?

Shanahan wasn’t biting on a question about whether the 49ers have been snakebit with injuries, which were an issue all throughout the 2024 season.

“I don’t know,” Shanahan said. “I think in ’23 we were the healthiest team in football from what stats have told me, people have told me. Last year we weren’t. This year it hasn’t been good so far, but we’ll see.”

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