The San Francisco 49ers officially ended Trent Williams' season on Thursday, placing him on injured reserve after the All-Pro left tackle had missed the last five games with an ankle injury.

Williams has been a foundational piece of the 49ers' success under head coach Kyle Shanahan in each of the previous three seasons prior to this year's letdown.

Widely regarded as the best tackle in football before this year, the 49ers can't afford for his absence with an injury that didn't heal how they expected to stretch into next year, at least not without finding a replacement.

But asked about the possibility of Williams' injury being a long-term problem and potentially even a career-threatening one, Shanahan provided reassurance.

"Not that we’ve heard of. It’s always concerning that it’s taken longer to heal than expected," he said. 

"But talking to him, he’s seen a number of specialists, he’s seen our own guys. So everyone’s pretty much on the same page. He just needs some time and it’ll heal. So there are really no worries there, but we just wanted it to heal faster."

Williams' stand-in, Jaylon Moore, performed reasonably well before his season came to an end with a quad injury sustained in last week's loss to the Miami Dolphins.

A succession of injuries have highlighted a glaring lack of depth on the offensive line for San Francisco, and the 49ers are facing the prospect of playing two recent signings, Austen Pleasants and Charlie Heck, at tackle in Monday's primetime matchup with the Detroit Lions.

The Niners might not be expecting Williams' ankle to be a problem to start 2025, but that does not mean San Francisco can afford to be complacent at tackle, a position where the offense would clearly benefit from a new starter on the right side and a potential Williams successor on the left.

Williams will hope to be healthy and back to his best in 2025, but the Niners must take better precautions this offseason to prepare for the possibility that he is again battling injuries.

‘He just feels like a 49er’ – San Francisco lands big-time help for All-Pro in 2025 NFL Mock Draft

He would address a glaring need.