San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams is working through the ankle injury that kept him out of Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Despite not practicing this week, there remains a possibility he might make it back for Sunday's crucial Week 8 face-off against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In his weekly Friday interview with Bay Area radio station KNBR, general manager John Lynch shared a status update on the injured offensive lineman.
"Trent's progressing well," Lynch said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "Trent is a competitor of all competitors. And he had that ankle and was really gearing towards playing last week. He just couldn't get there.
"He's not practiced this week. So I think today is going to be a big day. We don't do a ton on Friday, but it's going to be a big day in terms of feeling like, okay, I'm feeling better. I think I can do this."
Lynch refrained from entirely ruling Williams out even if he missed Friday's practice, the final on-field work before Sunday's game, aside from a Saturday walk-through.
"And Trent's the type of player you wait right up until Sunday if you have to," Lynch continued. "I guess it does give you some confidence that Trent's a seasoned player. You trust his point of view, once the doctors clear him, as to whether he can go, and then knowing he's got some time to heal up after (because of the bye week).
"If Trent can play, he'll play. And today and the next couple of days will be big in terms of continuing that healing process so he can go function."
If Williams can't suit up against the Bengals, Lynch expressed confidence in Jaylon Moore's ability to anchor the left side of the offensive line. Pro Football Focus graded Moore well on Monday night, handing him the second-best marks (Moore - 74.5, Aaron Banks - 75.6) among the 49ers' offensive linemen against the Vikings. Moore allowed only one pressure in the game.
"The good news, if you watch that game, Jaylon Moore, I was really proud of Jaylon," Lynch said. "I thought he held up extremely well against some really good rushers and was proud of him. That was a really good step for Jaylon. And credit to [offensive line coach] Chris Foerster and the O-line staff for continuing to develop a young player. And he stepped in and did really well in Trent's absence."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.