SANTA CLARA — After two days of 1-on-1s and team drills, one of the 49ers' star pass rushers is almost ready for the 2021 NFL season.
While it has yet to be determined if Nick Bosa will play in the team’s final exhibition game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, he is on track to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season. The third-year pro has yet to speak to media since returning to full participation, but defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is happy with what he has seen thus far.
“He looked fine out there,” Ryans said of Bosa. “I was happy to see him back out there just getting into the flow of everything. The biggest thing, always, coming of an injury is the mental hurdle of taking a hit or going to the ground, getting up and dusting yourself off and understanding that everything is still in tact, and 'I’m still OK and it’s on to football.'
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“I think he got a little bit of that yesterday with his first day back, and today, so I see him just continuing to progress. Physically I think he’s fine. I think it will just be the mental hurdle of getting over it and I see him progressing really well in that area.”
In 1-on-1s vs. Trent Williams, the left tackle came out on top on Thursday. In their second rep, Bosa lost his footing and ended up on the ground, but bounced back up ready for the next drill. In between his reps with Williams, Bosa faced off with Tom Compton and handily won the rep.
Later in team drills, Bosa stayed on the the field for three consecutive plays on three different occasions. In an additional series, he remained on the field for four straight snaps. The Ohio State product did not participate in red zone drills standing on the sidelines during the final minutes of practice.
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Ryans admitted that the decision if Bosa suits up will be made by coach Kyle Shanahan. The defensive coordinator has Week 1 as a priority knowing that Bosa will be prepared for his opponent no matter when he first steps on the field.
“For him to be ready for Week 1, I’m all for it,” Ryans said. “If it’s playing in the game or not, that will be up to coach and his decision. Whatever Bosa needs. We know the type of player he is. He means a lot to our defense and our team so having him out there for Week 1 is the most important thing.”