49ers place Trent Williams on IR, sign OL Matt Hennessy to contract

The 49ers have placed Trent Williams on injured reserve, officially ending his season, the team announced Thursday.

In place of the 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle, San Francisco has signed Matt Hennessy to a two-year contract. Hennessy has played in 45 career games with 22 starts, including four games for the Atlanta Falcons this season.

The 49ers placed LT Trent Williams on injured reserve and signed four-year veteran OL Matt Hennessy to a contract through next season.

They re-signed OL Sebastian Gutierrez to the practice squad.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) December 26, 2024

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Williams has been dealing with a lingering ankle injury and has not played since Week 11. Given the 49ers are out of playoff contention, it’s unsurprising that they’re shutting down starters with two games left to play.

The lineman signed a revised contract extension with San Francisco at the start of the season but has struggled with consistency with the rest of the team. Expectations were high that the 49ers would return to the Super Bowl, but the team never sustained any momentum. Sloppy play, blown leads, and injuries halted any chances of making it back to the playoffs.

Shutting down Williams, Dre Greenlaw and other starters will allow them to get back to full health in time for the start of the 2025-2026 NFL season.

When healthy, the 36-year-old still is one of the best linemen in the league, so hopefully, the extra rest will allow him to start next season ready to go.