The San Francisco 49ers have until 1:00pm Pacific Time on Tuesday to trim their roster from 90 players down to 53.
There’s a strong chance one major piece of their offense isn’t included in that initial 53-man roster.
As of Monday evening, left tackle Trent Williams had yet to report to the team facility in Santa Clara. His holdout over a new contract lasted throughout training camp, and his failure to report landed him on the reserve/did not report list. Because he’s on a reserve list he’s not on the 90-man roster, and therefore wouldn’t be part of the team’s cuts.
If Williams and the 49ers don’t agree to a contract by the 1:00pm deadline Tuesday, he’d remain on the reserve/did not report list and the team would have a 53-man roster without Williams on it.
While it is jarring to consider the 49ers without Williams shielding quarterback Brock Purdy’s blind side, there’s still a chance their roster will include the four-time All-Pro by Week 1.
Since he’s not on any injured list, there won’t be a requisite number of weeks for Williams to miss before he can return. As soon as he’s happy with his contract situation he can report and suit up for the 49ers. Whether he’ll have enough time to ramp up and play Week 1 remains to be seen, but he’d be eligible to play.
The 49ers are surely hoping to come to a resolution with their superstar left tackle sooner rather than later. It appears Jaylon Moore is in line to start at left tackle if Williams isn’t available for the opener. While Moore is an okay swing tackle, he’s a steep drop off from what Williams provides.
San Francisco opens its regular season on Monday, Sept. 9 against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium.
