The San Francisco 49ers have no shortage of elite players. Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa are definitely all considered among the best in their league at their positions.
That's why it's not easy to come up with predictions for the who the team's MVP will be in 2026. However, when you look around the roster, it becomes obvious who the correct answer is- Trent Williams.
Trent Williams Identified as 49ers' Most Important Non-QB
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recently identified each NFC team's most important non-quarterback. For the 49ers, Dubin went with Trent Williams, who is still one of the best tackles in the league.
Williams played in 16 games last year and earned an elite 91.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. That was the third-best grade out of 89 qualified tackles, and Williams did that at 37 years old.
"There may not be a single non-quarterback whose team experiences a bigger drop-off at his position when he's out of the lineup than Williams," Dubin explained. "San Francisco has averaged 0.07 EPA per play with Williams on the field since 2020 and dropped off to just south of 0.00 when he's been on the sideline."
As Dubin noted, the 49ers offense is much more effective when Williams is on the field. Williams is so elite that, no matter who the backup was, it would be impossible for the team not to experience a drop off.
"The 49ers don't have much depth at tackle and are already dealing with injuries at the skill positions. They desperately need Williams to stay upright all year," Dubin added.
It's not like the 49ers have great tackle depth. Vederian Lowe and Austen Pleasants are currently battling to be Williams' primary backup, and neither one was impressive in 2025.
How Long Can Williams Stay Elite?
Williams has been in the NFL since 2010. The future Hall of Famer spent nine years with Washington and is entering his seventh season in San Francisco.
Over that time, Williams has earned 12 Pro Bowl selections and has been a First-team All-Pro three times. Interestingly, Williams only gets better with age, as all three of his All-Pro selections came after 2020.
We know Williams is vitally important in 2026, but how long can the 49ers rely on him? The tackle just turned 38, and it seems like his play could slow down at any time now. As a result, the 49ers need to make a point to find the future of the left tackle position next offseason.
