SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 18: San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle (85) and San Francisco 49ers’ Trent Williams (71) celebrate their 24-16 win against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Left tackle Trent Williams called his COVID-19 battle last month “the toughest thing I ever had to do in my career.”
For perspective, Williams did not play last season after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his scalp.
Williams surprised even himself that he played in the 49ers’ last game after going two weeks since last putting on his helmet. With “little to none” after-effects from COVID-19, Williams will be in the 49ers’ lineup again Monday night when they host the Buffalo Bills at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., where the team relocated after Santa Clara County’s new COVID-19 guidelines banning football.
Williams, 32, was riddled with anxiety over the uncertainty of what to expect when he went on the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list Nov. 20; he was one of nine 49ers placed on it after their Nov. 15 loss at New Orleans, and all have been activated since then.
“The first week, it was more taxing on me mentally than physically, not knowing the depth it could go to, and coming off the year I had in ’19 where things didn’t go my way,” said Williams, who finished out his Washington tenure last year and got traded to the 49ers in April.
“Luckily, I’m blessed and got to it with little to none effects from it now,” Williams added. “I’m just thankful. I know there are a lot of people who battled this virus and it didn’t end well for them. Last couple years has been challenging (for him) but I’m here and I’m blessed.”
A perennial Pro Bowler from 2012-18, Williams got cleared off the COVID-19 list last Saturday, and while he hoped to play in the next day’s game at Los Angeles, he though medical protocol might prevent that. It did not and he played all 72 offensive snaps in the 23-20 upset win.
Not bad for someone who’s overcome cancer in the past year and also has asthma issues that put him at greater risk of respiratory complications with COVID-19. His 10 days of county-mandated isolation was no vacation.
“I wasn’t just sitting on the couch and having ice lemonade and just enjoying the newspaper,” Williams said. “It was a stressful time because you never know how that’s going to affect you, and nobody knows until it runs its course.
“The time it took to mentally prepare and then to get my body over it, it took seven or eight days.”
Williams noted that it was “definitely tough to get it back” and he credited his teammates and coaches for helping him through Sunday’s game at Los Angeles.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk went on the COVID-19 reserve list the same day as Williams, but Aiyuk did not gain medical clearance until Wednesday and he’s set to play against the Bills. Aiyuk and Williams had to miss a Nov. 5 loss to Green Bay because they were placed on COVID-19 reserve after being identified as high-risk contacts to Kendrick Bourne, who had a positive test Nov. 4; all subsequently tested negative and came off that list Nov. 6.
Coach Kyle Shanahan blamed a 30-minute get-together among some players after the New Orleans game for how nine 49ers landed on COVID-19 reserve afterward. Others to go on it were defensive linemen Arik Armstead, D.J. Jones, Jordan Willis; linebacker Joe Walker; center Hroniss Grasu; and, tight end Daniel Helm.
READY TO RUN
The 49ers have their healthiest stable of running backs available since the season’s first couple weeks, and that could bode well when they try ramping up that offensive component Monday night against the Buffalo Bills’ 25th-ranked run defense.
After getting Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. back for last Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers can suit up Tevin Coleman for only the fourth time this season, along with leading scorer Jerick McKinnon.
Coleman’s Week 2 knee sprain has limited him to just 21 carries (50 yards) but he is not on this week’s injury report and was not limited in practice. A year ago, he was the team’s primary starter at running back before Mostert essentially would take over and lead one of the NFL’s top ground games.
Mostert and Wilson each ran for just 43 yards and each lost a fumble last game. McKinnon had three carries for 21 yards.
Coach Kyle Shanahan cautioned against getting overly optimistic in facing the Bills’ run defense, saying: “If you’re not on your game, it’s like running into a brick wall.”
CORNERBACK REPORT
Slot cornerback K’Waun Williams is the only 49ers’ player ruled out for Monday night because of injury, at least among those on the active roster.
Likely filling in at Williams’ old role is Emmanuel Moseley, who was limited in practice with a hamstring issue and is listed as questionable. Shanahan wouldn’t reveal what the 49ers’ other options are at slot cornerback but sarcastically noted that starting cornerback Jason Verrett’s been cross-trained at all 11 spots defensively.
One cornerback who will be active for the first time after multiple healthy scratches is Ahkello Witherspoon. He was inactivated the past three games, benched in favor of Ken Webster and Jamar Taylor, who went on Injured Reserve because of injuries last game.
SWEET HOME ARIZONA
The 49ers plan on holding their day-before-game walk-through practice Sunday on the same fields they’ve been at this week neighboring State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. It didn’t dawn on Shanahan until Saturday, however, that they’ll have company in the complex as the Cardinals host the Rams.
How has Shanahan passed time in the nearby hotel? He watches videos — of other football teams. “I’d rent movies but no new movies are coming out,” Shanahan said. “It’s the same stuff on there since last year’s hotel.”
