San Francisco 49ers: Player stock watch after first week of 2018 training camp
By Peter Panacy
Running Backs Matt Breida and Joe Williams
With veteran running back Jerick McKinnon all but assuming the No. 1 spot on the depth chart this season, the real battle at the position falls between backup runners Matt Breida and Joe Williams.
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Breida, who finished with 645 all-purpose yards last season — third best among all San Francisco players — has flashed plenty of prowess in both the rushing and receiving games throughout camp.
Meanwhile, Williams also wasn’t to be outdone. 49ers.com’s Joe Fann described the action from the two from Saturday’s session:
"Matt Breida flashed on several occasions as well. Breida took one carry to the left and made a smooth cut upfield for a big gain. On another play, Jimmy Garoppolo avoided pressure and delivered a sidearm pass to Breida up the left seam. Not to be outdone, Joe Williams ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run on a toss to the left that marked the offense’s play of the day. Shanahan praised Williams’ decisiveness on the play during his post-practice presser."
Last year, Williams was redshirted with an ankle injury. But the bigger story for the 2017 fourth-round draft pick was his ball-security issues and, to what Kyle Shanahan termed, a lack of “urgency.”
It seems as if Williams is displaying those efforts now, and the first week of practice reinforces it.
While Williams is anything but a guarantee to make the 53-man roster, at least both he and Breida are making this competition awfully hot heading into Week 2 of camp.