Kyle Shanahan said Mykel Williams is a long shot to be active for Week 1, a blunt update that puts the 49ers' 2025 first-round pick on the edge of the season opener rather than in it. Williams has not practiced yet while he works back from a torn ACL and lateral meniscus damage.
That matters now because Week 1 against the Rams in Australia is a little more than three weeks away, and the 49ers still need Williams to clear one basic threshold before the countdown really starts: he has to get on the practice field and then build enough time for a proper ramp-up. Shanahan said the team has not ruled him out, but he did not hide the reality of the timeline. “We do think he's close,” he said. “I do think Week 1 would be a long shot, but we haven't ruled it out yet.”
Williams is roughly nine months removed from ACL reconstruction surgery, which fits inside the usual 9- to-12-month recovery window for that injury. That is why his case is being handled carefully. A player can be nearing the point of clearance and still need more time before he is ready for contact, change of direction work and the full load that comes with an NFL return.
The extra complication is the lateral meniscus damage, which adds more time to the recovery instead of simply running alongside the ACL clock. Shanahan said Williams is “progressing really well,” but progress is not the same as readiness, and the 49ers know it. They have enough reason to be patient because rushing him back before he has a real practice ramp-up could cost them more than missing the opener.
Nick Bosa showed that a return around the nine-month mark is possible, but it is not a promise, and it is not a shortcut. For Williams, the next checkpoint is straightforward even if the answer is not: get cleared to practice, prove he can stack days without a setback and force the decision back onto the field. Until that happens, Week 1 remains the kind of target teams point to, not the kind they plan around.
Tyler Warren is not the story here. Mykel Williams is. And right now, the clearest read is that the 49ers are preparing for a season opener without him unless the last few weeks bring a faster turn than Shanahan is willing to forecast.
