One of the most impressive aspects for the San Francisco 49ers coming out of OTAs and minicamp is their attendance.
Every player has shown up, including star left tackle Trent Williams. He is the one player who has the most validity to be absent, given his status.
Despite that, Williams has shown up and participated. It indicates how bought in he is for 2025 and wants to help keep the atmosphere at the 49ers' facility and practices uplifted.
However, the 49ers have to be very careful with him. It's no secret that he is at the end of his career and has been battered with injuries over the last few years.
Managing his workload has always been critical for the 49ers. Rather, it is "vital," as head coach Kyle Shanahan put it.
“I think it's vital, just the same as it always is," Shanahan said at Day 1 of minicamp. "When you get injuries, you get injuries, but with guys with age and the wear and tear and stuff, we just try to keep their legs fresher and stuff. And it's been good to get him here in two weeks of individual drills and things like that. I’ll be shocked if we put him out there tomorrow. I don't expect to see him except for maybe individual. He'll be good to go for camp.”
The 49ers have always managed Williams' workload well. He doesn't participate heavily in training camp, and usually gets one day off a week during the regular season.
That might need to be altered a bit. Williams' ankle injury was extremely concerning. It wouldn't be surprising if it had him contemplating retirement.
The injury took until February for him to fully recover. That is how significant it was and how slowly it takes him to recover from injuries now.
When training camp arrives, the 49ers can get away with giving Williams minimal participation. I'd argue they should cut it in half, so long as it keeps him fresh.
The last thing they want is for him to get injured in July or August. For now, the 49ers are delighted with how he looks and are happy he is back for the 2025 season.
"He looks in shape and he's been in shape in his drills," said Shanahan. "He's gotten through them all. He's healthy and right where he needs to be.”