The 49ers won’t know their schedule until Thursday but have known the opponents on their docket for months. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek has started assembling video cut-ups of the offensive tackles on the schedule, especially those not regular parts of the 49ers experience.
Nick Bosa and his fellow defensive ends have had them downloaded to their iPads while training away from the 49ers facility due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Bosa has requested some film of another offensive tackle he’ll face regularly but never on a Sunday.
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“I’ve started looked at film of some guys, and a little bit of film on Trent so I’m not caught off guard when camp rolls around,” Bosa said in a video conference with local reporters, from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “We get cut-ups of all the tackles and Kris does a great job of that. One of the things that, as a defensive end, you need to focus on is knowing your opponent.”
Bosa had the privilege of working against Joe Staley in practice during his rookie season and took a ton from those sessions. Bosa and Staley would huddle up and talk shop after each practice to keep the rookie progressing well.
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Staley retired a few weeks back, but the 49ers trade for Williams ensures Bosa will have an excellent sparring partner each practice.
It’s a matchup both players are looking forward to, considering they should make each other better. Bosa’s working on some new things entering his second season, including methods of how to better set up offensive tackles during a game. Williams will be an excellent test of what works. If he can beat the seven-time Pro Bowler, Bosa can beat just about anyone.
Bosa hasn’t faced his new teammate yet – Williams was holding out when the 49ers played Washington early in the 2019 season -- but he has been impressed by what he has seen on tape.
“He’s a really good athlete,” Bosa said. “The biggest thing that stands out is his athleticism and his feet. He’s able to recover so quickly. I saw a rep where somebody spun on him and he got beat but was able to [rebound] because he has feet like a receiver. He can move his feet so well and stay in front of guys and he’s massive, so it’s tough to beat with power. He’s one of the best in the league so it will be fun to practice against him.”
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