San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams has plenty of respect for Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett. However, he could do without facing both defensive stars in Week 1, when the 49ers take on the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rams pulled off a blockbuster offseason trade to acquire Garrett. As if that weren't impactful enough, Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, decided to put his retirement on hold and rejoin his former team.
Williams spoke with ESPN's Lindsey Thiry and was asked about Donald's return to the football field and the prospect of facing both defensive linemen to open the 49ers' 2026 campaign.
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"On the heels of them getting Myles Garrett, it's just the old saying, 'When it rains, it pours,'" Williams said with a laugh. "Luckily, we're not the only people that got to deal with them two, but I guess we'll be the guinea pigs of the NFL to kind of see how they are together for the first time.
"But it's two all-time great players, and they obviously would be a handful individually. So having them both together is obviously going to be two handfuls, and we just got to see how we can try to contain them, and hopefully limit their impact."
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday morning's practice (Monday night in the United States), Williams made it clear that he doesn't expect Donald's talents to have diminished during his brief retirement.
"I wouldn't be the one to say he'd be slower or any different than the last time we've seen him," Williams said. "That's what I would expect. I'm older than he is, so it ain't like I expect him to come back old and slower.
"I think he walked away from the game on his own terms, and it looks like he's coming back on his own terms. And no, I expect him to be the same 99 that the league grew to fear."
Assuming Donald plays, Williams and the 49ers' offensive linemen will have their hands full trying to slow the Rams' formidable new duo. Their priority will be keeping quarterback Brock Purdy upright and limiting the impact of two of the NFL's most talented defensive linemen.
Mentioned in this article: Brock Purdy, Trent Williams
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