49ers injuries: Trent Williams misses 1st day of practice ahead of NFC championship
The 49ers began on-field preparations for the NFC championship without star left tackle Trent Williams. He was one of five players absent per the team’s practice participation report.
Williams is dealing with an ankle injury that can’t be identified as either a high or low ankle sprain. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday said the team would have to monitor the injury throughout the week in order to determine his readiness to play Sunday.
The 49ers beat the Rams in Week 18 without Williams who was dealing with an elbow sprain at that time. Second-year OL Colton McKivitz started in his place. Williams was injured during the 49ers’ divisional-playoff win over the Packers, though he only missed one play in that game.
Here’s the full practice report:
Did not participate
(AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
DL Nick Bosa (not injury related – resting player)
C Alex Mack (not injury related – resting player)
RB Elijah Mitchell (knee)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)
RB Jeffery Wilson (ankle)
A Wednesday absence isn’t a particularly huge deal, but it’s also not a great sign for Williams and Wilson who were both injured in the divisional playoffs. Mitchell’s knee issue has lingered since Week 13 so his load management is typical.
Limited participation
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
CB Ambry Thomas (knee)
It’s good news for the 49ers that Thomas was able to practice, but he was a limited participant all last week and didn’t wind up playing. He has a bone bruise on his knee after taking a hit in the wild-card game. His status will be a key one to watch for San Francisco as they ramp up for a game against a dynamic Rams passing attack.
Full participation
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
QB Jimmy Garoppolo (right thumb)
An interesting note here is that the shoulder injury isn’t listed for Garoppolo. If his shoulder sprain is no longer hampering him, that’s certainly good news for San Francisco since Garoppolo threw for 316 yards against the Rams in the season finale just two weeks after suffering the thumb injury.
1
1
