SANTA CLARA – Having been bounced around by four teams during his first four NFL seasons, offensive tackle Austen Pleasants seems to finally have found a home with the 49ers.

The timing couldn’t be much better San Francisco, which is heading into critical Week 18 win-it-all game against the Seattle Seahawks facing the possibility of being without all-world left tackle Trent Williams.

The 28-year-old Pleasants gave the 49ers Faithful a glimpse of what he’s capable of during the team’s 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Williams sustained a hamstring injury on the first play from scrimmage and did not return, leaving the blind-side protection for quarterback Brock Purdy in the hands of a player who is the complete definition of journeyman.

“There’s definitely a lot of things to clean up as far as the angles of some of my sets, and just stay staying on blocks a little bit longer,” Pleasants said of his performance in the win. “Just little things. The good thing is it’s all stuff that I can control.

“For the most part it really came down to the preparation throughout the whole year. I felt ready. I felt comfortable. There’s obviously a little bit of butterflies, like when you first step in, but after that first drive I felt really comfortable and good.”

It definitely showed.

Pleasants played 71 snaps while helping anchor an offensive line that paved the way for 42 points and nearly 500 yards of offense.

“He played a great game,” said left guard Spencer Burford, who was San Francisco’s swing tackle and Williams’ backup before being moved inside due to other offensive-line injuries. “He just fell back on his training, everything that he does in practice, everything that he’s been practicing all year.

“It’s a standard that we hold ourselves to, really as a unit, just making sure that you try to plug and plug and play. We work together in practice, just building that chemistry there, just feeding off each other, making sure that we communicate. That’s the biggest deal.”

Williams has not been ruled out for Saturday’s game at Levi’s Stadium. Coach Kyle Shanahan hinted Tuesday that there was a chance the All-Pro left tackle would be available, but in all likelihood Pleasants will make his first NFL start in the 49ers’ biggest game of the 2025 season thus far.

It’s a long way, physically and mentally, from the path that Pleasants traveled to get to this point.

“I’ve bounced around a lot, so it’s kind of validation for all the days that I thought this could be it and just persevering anyway,” Pleasants said. “I’m going to keep my head. There were definitely those moments that I felt [like quitting], but I know God’s always got my back. Just trust him to do the work and he’ll take care of the rest.”

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