Nick

Bosa

Bosa is listed as questionable because of the rib injury after getting in two limited practices to close the week. He is one of the only stars left on the 49ers roster that will be able to play this week as Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle have all been ruled out. Luckily for San Francisco, the Rams are dealing with a similarly awful run of injuries including several along their offensive line, teeing Bosa up for an easy matchup this week.

Bosa missed all of training camp because of his holdout and hasn’t gotten many practice reps this week. The lack of preparation threatened to sideline him for Week 1, though that is no longer the case. Now the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, Bosa will look to terrorize second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett to open the year.

As 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco points out, the 49ers have a two-game roster exemption for Bosa, but we’d expect to see him out there for Week 1 when the 49ers take on the Steelers. Bosa missed all of training camp and the preseason while holding out for a new contract, but has since been satisfied with a five-year, $170 million extension that includes $122.5 million in guaranteed money. If Bosa does play on Sunday, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team limit his snaps after so much time away.

Bosa becomes the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, and by a fairly wide margin. The 49ers All-Pro end has been holding out all offseason in hopes of a new contract, and should be back in the building soon. Bosa has been arguably the best defensive player in football since the 49ers drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2019, racking up 43 sacks in four years — which is more like three years when you consider his injury-shortened 2020 in which he played just two games. There’s no way to get around the fact that Bosa has been an absolute force to be reckoned with, and now his contract reflects that. The 49ers now have their elite EDGE locked up through 2027, putting him in line for another big pay day if he continues to perform at the level we’ve seen thus far.

Bosa’s contract holdout enters its third month, and it appears exceedingly unlikely the all-pro pass rusher will rejoin the Niners before their regular season opener against the Steelers. His absence would be a boost for Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh offense, which appeared far more explosive in the preseason than it did in 2022. Bosa, who had a league-leading 19 sacks last season, was graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s third best pass rusher.

Last year’s Defensive Player of the Year is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and is in desperate need of a new contract before taking the field. Since being drafted by the 49ers with the No. 2 overall pick in 2019, Bosa has wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 43 sacks and 56 TFLS. Bosa is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a 2022 first-team All-Pro after leading the league with 18.5 sacks last season. We’d expect the two sides to agree on a deal sooner or later, but until then, he’ll be absent from the practice field.

Somewhat surprisingly, this is Bosa’s first DPOY award since entering the league as the No. 2 overall pick in 2019. It joins that season’s defensive rookie of the year award and this year’s first-team All-Pro honors. Simply unguardable off the edge, Bosa tallied a league-leading 18.5 sacks even though he appeared in only 16 games. Pro Football Focus charted his 98 pressures as second to only Micah Parson’s 106. Bosa is one of the 10 most valuable players in the league.

Per Rapoport, Bosa wants to be the highest-paid defender in the league. Aaron Donald currently makes $31.7 million per year, more than any other defender and all but a dozen quarterbacks. Bosa has been a force to be reckoned with since his first snap in the NFL in 2019. He reached a new level this year, totaling 18.5 sacks and 19 TFLs. The outstanding performance may have earned him the Defensive Player of the Year award. If not signed to an extension in the offseason, Bosa would play out the 2023 season on the fifth-year option.

The standout EDGE appears set for Week 17 after starting the week as a “DNP” with an illness. The 49ers prepare to host the Raiders in Week 17 with an outside shot at the top overall playoff spot in the NFC still on the table.

Bosa is playing despite not practicing during the week. Perhaps he will be on a snap count. Inactive for the 49ers are QB Jimmy Garoppolo, DT Hassan Ridgeway, S Tarvarius Moore, RB Ty Davis-Price, OL Nick Zakelj, TE Ross Dwelley and LB Curtis Robinson.