San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa primed for big season

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa continues to rehab from an ACL injury. The third-year player began individual workouts at the team facility but has not joined team drills. The 49ers coaching staff believes he can bounce back to have a big season in 2021.

First-year defensive coordinator and former NFL linebacker DeMeco Ryans has been encouraged by what he has seen in individual workouts and believes the mental side of Bosa’s rehab will be the most important.

“On the side, it looks really good,” Ryans said, via 49ersWebZone.com. “I’ll say that his drills, all the individual stuff that he’s doing, he’s looking fast, he’s looking explosive. So it’s just a matter of any time guys come back off of injury, the biggest hurdle is always just mentally.”

Ryans understands the mental and physical toll a major injury can have on a player. He suffered a torn Achilles tendon in 2014 before returning for his final season in 2015.

“Like just falling on the ground and getting up and understanding that you’re OK,” said Ryans. “So most guys just have to go through that process. Once he goes through that and sees that he’s fine, then I think he’s going to be better than he was his rookie year.”

About Nick Bosa

Nick Bosa is the younger brother of Joey Bosa, a star defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers. Both brothers attended Ohio State, where they starred for three seasons before heading to the NFL Draft. Joey was taken No. 3 overall in 2016 and Nick went No. 2 overall in 2019. His cousin Jake Kumerow currently plays for the Buffalo Bills.

As a rookie, Nick Bosa took the league by storm. He finished the season with 62 tackles, 13 sacks and an interception. He also forced two fumbles and had four pass deflections.

Bosa starred in the 49ers’ postseason run to the Super Bowl, collecting four of his 13 sacks in three games.

His 2020 campaign started with six tackles and a forced fumble in a Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Nick Bosa suffered an ACL injury in Week 2 against the New York Jets and missed the remainder of the season.

Bosa is expected to increase his workload at practice next week. NBC Sports indicates that he should be on the field for the 49ers’ Week 1 matchup with the Detroit Lions, barring a setback.