Will Trent Williams stay healthy?

The San Francisco 49ers offense was a shell of it’s ritual Top 5 self in 2020. The 49ers offense was ranked fourth in the league in 2019 and then fell back to 15th in 2020. Headed into the 2021 season, expectations loom for Kyle Shanahan to reignite the offense into a lethal machine. 

What exactly will be the hurdles for Kyle Shanahn to lift off the 49ers offense? Let’s dive into the three biggest questions for Shanny’s west coast offense. 

1. How ready will Trey Lance be?

The biggest question on the offense is unequivocally the QB spot. The 49ers drafted Trey Lance third overall with expectations that he will be a future All Pro. Lance carries sky high potential, but can he hit the ground running in 2020? 

If Lance is in sync with the offense and even slightly more efficient than Jimmy G, I believe it’s a no-brainer that Lance starts in the fierce NFC West. We witnessed Justin Herbert get thrown under the fire early and walk out with the offensive rookie of the year award. Lance has similar ability to Herbert, but he will unveil more victories due to the fact that he has a better team. 

2. How much will Trey Sermon be involved

I believe it’s vital that rookie RB Trey Sermon becomes a weapon early in the season. All too often fans view a year one RB blossom later in the season. Jonathan Taylor and D’Andre Swift didn’t become a true impact player until several weeks into the 2020 campaign. It will be especially beneficial if Lance and Sermon develop a strong trust in each other before the most important matchups later in the season arrive.

Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman are no longer in the building. Sermon will need to a productive piece in the RB group, but he truly will need to be special if they want to return to winning the NFC West. 

3. The health of Trent Williams

The health of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle is very important. Although, all star weapons are returning healthy and coming off unusual injuries. The “star player with repeated injuries” is none other than the All Pro LT Trent Williams.

The last time that Williams logged more than 14 games was all the way in 2014. If Williams missed three to four games, it could spell disaster for the potential starting rookie QB. Williams’ health is even more valuable with the divisional opponents beefing up their pass rushing units.

It’s clear Aaron Donald rests in Los Angeles, but now the 49ers have to prepare for J.J. Watt and a healthy Chandler Jones in Arizona. If the 49ers also want to win games against the likes of the Buccaneers and Saints pass rush in the postseason, they will need their prominent LT on the field.