49ers' Williams active for week 5, returns from ACL recovery

Mykel Williams is active for San Francisco's Week 5 game against Seattle on October 12, 2026, marking his return to competition after nearly a full calendar year away from play. The 11th-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was cleared from the reserve/PUP list and returned to full practice participation on Friday, according to the 49ers' official announcement.

Williams suffered a season-ending ACL injury during Week 9 of his rookie campaign in 2025. He underwent surgery on November 25, 2025, and spent the first four weeks of the 2026 season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list while completing his rehabilitation. In his nine starts as a rookie before the injury, Williams recorded 20 tackles and one sack, per the team's official records.

The 49ers' defensive line is depleted for Sunday's matchup. Defensive linemen Nick Bosa (knee/calf) and James Thompson Jr. (ankle) are ruled out, along with fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee) and safety Marques Sigle (ankle), per the team's inactives list. That depth gap adds immediate practical weight to Williams' availability.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in Williams' readiness, saying Friday: "He's had a good two weeks. He was good last week and this week's been even better. Ready to get him back out there on the field." Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris offered a more compact assessment Thursday: "He's big, he gives us a lot of energy, gives a lot of juice." Williams listed as questionable entering the weekend with a knee designation but was upgraded to active status.

Williams told the team Wednesday he was prepared for his return. "I'm ready to go. I'm excited to play ball. I miss playing ball. It's been a near year since I've played. I just want to get back on the field," he said. On his first opponent after the long layoff, Williams stated: "I don't care who it was. It could have been anybody. I'm just ready to play ball." During his recovery, he leaned on teammate Nick Bosa, who has experienced ACL injuries himself. "Bosa was great for my whole recovery process. I was leaning on him so much, and he was willingly just offering me advice and just telling me little things to do different," Williams said.

Morris indicated Williams will be asked to contribute on both run defense and pass rush. The 49ers will have a concrete measure of Williams' conditioning and confidence Sunday against the Seahawks.