49ers injury news: Trent Williams to miss multiple weeks

The 49ers didn’t just lose their Week 3 matchup to the Broncos, but they also lost All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams to a serious ankle injury.

The San Francisco 49ers already suffered the “insult” part of their lackluster 11-10 Sunday Night Football loss to the Denver Broncos over the weekend.

Time to tack on the injury.

Specifically, the most devastating one the Niners endured during the game, watching All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams go down with a high-ankle sprain.

The play on which Williams suffered the injury will certainly go down in infamy for San Francisco, as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stepped out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving Denver two additional points that proved to be quite a difference-maker in the low-scoring game.

On the left side of the 49ers’ formation, Williams was rolled up and went down on the field. And while he didn’t require the cart to exit, he did walk off rather gingerly.

In Williams’ stead, the Niners inserted second-year lineman Jaylon Moore, who was relieved from fill-in duties after just four snaps and following a sack allowed on Garoppolo.

Fellow backup lineman Colton McKivitz, who figures to be Williams’ replacement in the interim, replaced Moore during the game.

49ers injury news: Kyle Shanahan confirms Trent Williams has high-ankle sprain

On a positive note, Williams didn’t suffer any sort of break, such as the one that prematurely ended quarterback Trey Lance’s season back in Week 2.

However, speaking to reporters after the game on Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Williams is now dealing with a high-ankle sprain and will miss some time.

Without diving too deeply into the medical side of things, high-ankle sprains can be tricky, especially if they aren’t allowed to heal properly.

Fortunately, as NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco pointed out in the tweet above, recovery times can be between four to six weeks.

Read More: Jimmy Garoppolo’s play vs. Broncos isn’t the only ugly part of 49ers loss

Shanahan wouldn’t confirm if the team would place Williams on injured reserve yet, though.

Williams, the clear-cut best member of San Francisco’s offensive line, could feasibly return for Week 8’s road contest against the Los Angeles Rams, although the 49ers may take the more cautious route by taking advantage of their Week 9 bye, thereby returning Williams in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

49ers also lose Azeez Al-Shaair to MCL sprain

Another notable setback the Niners will now deal with, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury and didn’t return.

Shanahan confirmed Al-Shaair has an MCL sprain, which isn’t unlike what running back Elijah Mitchell is dealing with and required him to miss a couple of months.

As such, it’s likely San Francisco will be without its No. 3 linebacker until late November.

With fellow linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw still in place, the 49ers may have to turn to depth backers like Oren Burks and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to step up in Al-Shaair’s stead.