Nick Bosa was one of the handful of players not on hand for the start of 49ers OTAs, and head coach Kyle Shanahan actually prefers it that way.
Bosa tore his ACL in Week 2 last season and has been rehabbing with a trainer and his brother, Chargers DE Joey Bosa, in Florida. Shanahan on Tuesday told reporters he and the team are in contact with Bosa, and didn’t want him to interrupt his rehab by showing up to OTAs.
“I’ve been talking to Nick since February on this. He came out in February for a while to get checked up on his knee and stuff. With him coming off the ACL and everything, it’s going great,” Shanahan told reporters via video conference. “I’m sure you guys have seen some videos. But, he’s got a good setup out there with his brother and the guy who works with his knee. They’re in contact with our guys all the time and just didn’t want to take him off his routine right now. I totally agree with him out there. He’s going to show up at some time during this, but he won’t be going out there doing anything coming off the ACL, but we fully expect him to be ready for training camp.”
Allowing Bosa to continue his current track makes a lot of sense since there’s not much the 2019 No. 2 overall pick can glean from being on site at the team facility. Staying put and ensuring his knee is fully ready for camp takes priority over everything else.
He’ll be an essential piece of the 49ers defensive front this season since their depth at defensive end is not stellar. Having a healthy Bosa to rush the passer could be the difference between Super Bowl contention or an early playoff exit.
[listicle id=666887]