49ers vs. Texans: 3 San Francisco players needing a strong Week 2 of preseason
Running back Joe Williams
Following Raheem Mostert‘s star performance in Week 1, Joe Williams needs to show off his talent just to get back into the battle for third running back.
And that was before the news of the 49ers signing Alfred Morris. Now Williams is severely behind the eight-ball, so to speak.
If you check out the article I linked to above, you see that Williams’ only roster value comes from his rushing. With no special teams experience, and the coaching staff having no inclination to use him there, without rushing well, Williams becomes useless.
Adding Morris to the depth chart amplifies how Williams needs to set up his game. Morris is a veteran back who has a style of running different from Jerick McKinnon and Matt Breida, the 49ers top-two backs.
Related Story. How the Alfred Morris signing shakes up the 49ers’ running back depth chart. light
All I’m trying to say is that Williams better shape up, or he’ll be shipped out. For starters, he has to do better than a 2.7 YPC average. Although the 49ers offensive line did struggle in that game, Jeremy McNichols managed to get five yards per carry and Mostert with 7.1.
This preseason game against a great Texans defense will be exactly what Williams needs to show his running ability and make some noise in this ever-growing third-string RB battle.