The San Francisco 49ers' former first-round pick Mykel Williams made his 2026 debut after tearing his ACL to end his rookie season. Williams only played 36% of the defensive snaps with 23 snaps overall. Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that while Williams did not flash, he did show them what they wanted to see fresh off the injury.
"Yeah, that was our goal to get him around that area," Shanahan said of playing Williams just 23 snaps. "I thought he did a real good job. It was a real good first game back. He didn't have any bad plays.”
Williams had two tackles and added one pressure, according to PFF.
"He had two good plays of sniffing out a screen twice,” added Shanahan. “I thought he had a real good first step for him coming back."
San Francisco 49ers Giving Mykel Williams More Work
The question now is how much more will the team put on Williams' plate in Week 6? They did not use him much in his versatile role sliding inside on pass-rushing downs. He played on early downs and then would come off the field for sub-package football.
In 2025, the 49ers aligned Williams along the interior defensive line for 54 snaps. That was a 14% rate. In Week 5, he did not have any snaps along the interior. This is where he had his best work as a pass rusher, so the thought is that the 49ers will start to get him mixed in more often.
The next question is how much this means for the 49ers' edge rusher room. They are expected to get Nick Bosa back in the next week or two as well. Williams should be closer to a full-time player in the next two weeks.
So, the 49ers will have two starters locked in. Rookie third-round pick Romello Height has been taking on a bigger role with those two sidelined. It has been a lot to ask of him, but if he can shift into the third edge rusher and just rush on passing downs, he could become more valuable thanks to the experience he gained.
San Francisco also has Keion White, who can serve as a solid fourth option in a rotation. On one hand, this is all in theory, and none of it has come together. On the other hand, there is a chance this room can become a strength by Week 10.
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