No. 4: Running Back Joe Williams

Like Aldrick Robinson, running back Joe Williams is one of the few roster additions from the John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan era on the hot seat entering 2018.

Redshirted with an ankle injury his rookie season, Williams’ ball security was problematic in training camp a year ago. Combine that with fellow rookie runner Matt Breida’s emergence — his 645 all-purpose yards in 2017 ranked third among all 49ers offensive players — and suddenly Williams looked like the odd man out heading into this season.

With free-agent pickup Jerick McKinnon assuming starting duties, and Breida a solid candidate to emerge as the No. 2 tailback, Williams’ future entering this season was in jeopardy.

“I expect him to turn up his urgency level this year,” Shanahan told Niners Nation’s Jennifer Lee Chan. “I talked to him about that. He says he has and I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

So far, Williams appears to have flashed such urgency. At least on one impressive run on July 28:

Not to be out done, Joe Williams ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run. Good day for him. #49ers

— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) July 28, 2018

The problem, though, is Williams will have to do more than just match Breida’s abilities. And it isn’t as if Williams can fall back on a No. 3 running back spot either. That’s likely reserved for fellow runner Raheem Mostert, who was one of San Francisco’s best special teams aces in 2017.

While it’s a good scenario for Shanahan and the 49ers offense to see such a camp battle developing, it’s still going to be a long road for Williams to stick around beyond training camp.

Next Page: No. 3