49ers roster: Trent Williams needed more than ever entering 2022

The 49ers have the best offensive tackle in football, Trent Williams, yet they’ll actually need him in a bigger way in 2022 than ever before.

San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams is, by a massive margin, the best offensive lineman the Niners have on their current roster.

That’s both a good and bad thing.

Williams’ prowess as a nine-time Pro Bowler and 2021 first-team All-Pro needs little introduction. Pro Football Focus just ranked the 34-year-old Williams the No. 1 offensive tackle in the league, so Niner Noise’s own statement of him being the best isn’t just hyperbole.

However, there’s a serious drop when looking at the rest of San Francisco’s offensive line, which underwent some massive transformations during the offseason.

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 7/30/2022.

Gone are interior linemen Laken Tomlinson (free agency) and Alex Mack (retirement), both of whom joined Williams on Pro Bowl rosters last year. And with this shuffling, coupled with concerns about whether or not right tackle Mike McGlinchey is fully recovered from a torn quad suffered last season, Williams has some awfully big shoes to fill.

Especially as the 49ers transition to second-year quarterback Trey Lance.

Why Trent Williams is so important to 49ers with Trey Lance starting

Normally, in Niner Noise’s yearly series on each individual player, we’d highlight the areas in which said player would improve against a contrast of why that player might regress, or something similar.

This isn’t necessary in Williams’ case. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll stay elite. And while it’s fair to question both his advancing age and the fact it’ll be Aaron Banks, not Tomlinson, starting next to him at left guard, worrying about Williams himself is not an issue.

Yet that change from Tomlinson to Banks highlights the main reason why Williams is so vital to what the Niners need to accomplish this season, namely keeping Lance protected and upright while also ensuring San Francisco’s own run-first offense doesn’t suffer any serious lapses.

Banks, who had five regular-season snaps last season after the 49ers used a Round 2 draft pick on him, is a question mark. Whoever winds up winning the starting center job between Jake Brendel and Daniel Brunskill is cause for concern, too, especially if Brunskill moving over creates a void at right guard.

However, head coach Kyle Shanahan has historically put more reliance upon his tackles and center than guards, yet that only highlights why Williams will be vital.

Particularly with an inexperienced second-year quarterback in Lance looking for some consistency and solidarity up front.

Where things could go wrong for Trent Williams, 49ers

The Williams-Tomlinson tandem last year was excellent. It’s unclear whether or not the Williams-Banks duo will be anywhere near as good, and it might actually hurt Williams’ overall attributes for the duration of 2022.

Injuries, of course, would be the No. 1 reason why Lance and the Niners would worry about the left side of the O-line, though, as this group figures to be a primary strength, especially in terms of pass protection. While McGlinchey is an excellent run blocker, he’s nowhere close to Williams’ caliber of a pass blocker.

Through the first week of training camp, San Francisco has yet to identify an adequate swing tackle to replace Williams, should he miss time during the regular season, and it had a chance to try with the veteran tackle missing practices after he welcomed a baby boy into the world.

Should Williams wind up suffering any sort of elongated injury, it’d likely be an overwhelming disaster for both Lance and the rest of the 49ers offense.

This importance highlights just how crucial Williams is, but it also points out why the Niners should look to improve the rest of the O-line, too.

All the while making sure the perennial Pro Bowler stays fully healthy.