San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams called his COVID-19 battle last month "the toughest thing I ever had to do in my career."
For perspective, Williams did not play last season after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his scalp.
"The first week, it was more taxing on me mentally than it was physically, just not knowing the depths it could go to," Williams said via video conference from Glendale, Ariz., where the 49ers relocated this past week amid Santa Clara County's COVID-19 guidelines banning contact sports.
"And coming off the year I had in '19 where things didn't really go my way, I was kind of expecting this COVID deal to take the same turn.
"Luckily I'm blessed, man. I got through it with little to none effects from it now," Williams added. "I'm just thankful, because I know there are a lot of people out there who battled this virus and it didn't end so well for them. I never want to overlook that."
Williams surprised even himself that he played in the 49ers' last game, a Sunday win over the Los Angeles Rams, after going two weeks since last putting on his helmet.
Williams will be in the 49ers' lineup again Monday night when they host the Buffalo Bills at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Williams, 32, was riddled with anxiety over the uncertainty of what to expect when he went on the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list Nov. 20; he was one of nine 49ers placed on it after their Nov. 15 loss at New Orleans, and all have been activated since then.
A perennial Pro Bowler from 2012-18, Williams got cleared off the COVID-19 list last Saturday. While he hoped to play in the next day's game at Los Angeles, he thought medical protocol might prevent that. It did not and he played all 72 offensive snaps in the 23-20 upset win.
Not bad for someone who's overcome cancer in the past year and also has asthma issues that put him at greater risk of respiratory complications with COVID-19. His 10 days of county-mandated isolation was no vacation.
"I wasn't just sitting on the couch and having ice lemonade and just enjoying the newspaper," Williams said. "It was a stressful time because you never know how that's going to affect you, and nobody knows until it runs its course.
"The time it took to mentally prepare and then to get my body over it, it took seven or eight days."
Williams finished out his Washington tenure last year without playing because of his cancer surgery and conflicts with the Washington franchise. He got traded to the 49ers in April. "The last couple years have been pretty challenging but I'm standing here so I'm blessed," Williams said.
He noted that it was "definitely tough to get it back" and he credited his teammates and coaches for helping him through Sunday's game at Los Angeles.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk went on the COVID-19 reserve list the same day as Williams, but Aiyuk did not gain medical clearance until Wednesday and he's set to play against the Bills. Aiyuk and Williams had to miss a Nov. 5 loss to Green Bay because they were placed on COVID-19 reserve after being identified as high-risk contacts to Kendrick Bourne, who had a positive test Nov. 4; all subsequently tested negative and came off that list Nov. 6.
Coach Kyle Shanahan blamed a 30-minute get-together among some players after the New Orleans game for how nine 49ers landed on COVID-19 reserve afterward. Others to go on it were defensive linemen Arik Armstead, D.J. Jones, Jordan Willis; linebacker Joe Walker; center Hroniss Grasu; and, tight end Daniel Helm.
