Nick Bosa and Joe Staley were at opposite ends of their NFL careers.
It became a regular post-practice scene during 49ers training camp last summer when the player in his first NFL season would walk off the field and compare notes with the player taking part in the final training camp of his 13-year career.
Staley, an NFL All-Decade left tackle, certainly made Bosa better. Bosa likely did the same for Staley.
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Staley no longer is with the 49ers after announcing his retirement in April. Now, Bosa should have a chance to advance his game even further with daily practices against another top-flight offensive tackle -- assuming camp takes place as scheduled during the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The 49ers acquired Trent Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowl performer, in a trade with Washington in April. Williams takes over at left tackle, where he and Bosa will go up against each other plenty during practice sessions.
“My impressions are, the tape I’ve watched of him, it’s pretty impressive,” Bosa said last week during the 49ers’ State of the Franchise virtual event. “I’m just excited we have a player like that on our team.”
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Williams rejoins Kyle Shanahan, for whom he played his first four NFL seasons. In the first year of Mike Shanahan's tenure as Washington’s head coach -- and with Kyle as offensive coordinator -- Williams was the team’s 2010 first-round draft pick at No. 4 overall.
“I’m excited that he’s familiar with Kyle’s offense, so (he's) just a great replacement for Joe and I’m going to have a really good challenge all training camp,” Bosa said. “It’ll be interesting.”
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Bosa registered nine sacks during the regular season and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He collected four more sacks in three postseason games.
Williams did not play last season. He held out through the first eight weeks of the season after alleging that Washington team doctors misdiagnosed a cancerous growth on his head. After reporting to the club, he ended up going on the non-football injury list.