{"id":723,"date":"2026-05-29T05:08:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T05:08:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=723"},"modified":"2026-05-29T05:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T05:08:20","slug":"49ers-nick-bosas-love-of-game-kept-him-from-quitting-after-acl-tear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=723","title":{"rendered":"49ers’ Nick Bosa’s love of game kept him from quitting after ACL tear"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SANTA CLARA \u2013 Nick Bosa\u2019s surgically repaired knees are up for yet another comeback.<\/p>\n

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Eight months ago, he wasn\u2019t so sure.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d torn an anterior cruciate ligament for the third time in 11 years. He was an expert in the \u201clonely\u201d gloom of knee reconstruction. He pondered his options.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start out wanting to quit, never play again and never put your body in that position again,\u201d Bosa, 28, recalled Thursday, in his first media session since his right knee gave out Sept. 21. \u201cThen slowly you realize that you love this game and you want to get back to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean I\u2019ve never doubted I can get back to where I am,\u201d Bosa added. \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing I play today and not back when my dad did, because I probably wouldn\u2019t be playing anymore. But luckily, they fix ACLs pretty good, I\u2019m feeling pretty good, and my mind is also better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bosa\u2019s recovery has him poised to suit up for the 49ers\u2019 regular season against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Sept. 10, 5:35 p.m PT). He wasn\u2019t participating in Thursday\u2019s organized team activities, but he\u2019s been present for the voluntary offseason program, as have all except left tackle Trent Williams, who coach Kyle Shanahan expects to arrive next week.<\/p>\n

Getting Bosa back is vital to a 49ers defense that ranked last in the NFL last season with just 20 sacks. He got off to a hot start with a strip sack of Sam Darnold to clinch the 49ers\u2019 opening win in Seattle, added another sack in their Week 2 victory at New Orleans, then got hurt on a first-quarter pass rush in the 49ers\u2019 home-opening win against Arizona.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pretty far along. I\u2019m out on the field doing a lot of stuff, trying to just take it slow, because I tend to push things quicker,\u201d Bosa said. \u201cObviously I got injured pretty early last year so there\u2019s plenty of time for me to really lay the groundwork for the long season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

This is right knee\u2019s second ACL repair, having initially torn it his senior year at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He ruptured his left knee\u2019s ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season. This comeback isn\u2019t like that one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I did it in \u201920,\u00a0 it was just like balls-to-the-wall, get back, push every milestone as hard as you possibly can,\u201d Bosa recalled. \u201cI probably dealt with stuff I didn\u2019t need to deal with in terms of bumps in the road in recovery. \u00a0Now I\u2019m taking it slow. I\u2019ve had references to go back and look at. \u2026 all the rest of my body feels pretty darn good. My fingers haven\u2019t felt this good in probably 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t exactly alone in his rehabilitation. He was joined in the trainer\u2019s room by linebacker Fred Warner (Week 5 ankle fracture) and then, a month later, fellow starting defensive end Mykel Williams also tore an ACL.<\/p>\n

To further improve their pass rush, new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris figures to institute more five-man fronts and less predictable pressures, though Bosa said that won\u2019t alter his style, which produced a NFL-high 18 \u00bd sacks in 2022 when he won AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt just sets us up in a better position to stop some of the ways offenses are starting to attack the edge,\u201d Bosa said. \u201cBut I\u2019ll be playing the same attacking football like I always do.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll be doing it alongside new linemen, including third-round pick Romello Height, whom he praised as \u201cexplosive and polished.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for whether older brother Joey Bosa could sign with the 49ers a decade into his own career, \u201cI think he\u2019s working on his golf game. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s thinking too much about football,\u201d Nick Bosa said.<\/p>\n

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Shanahan said of a possible Bosa-brothers reunion: \u201cThat\u2019d be awesome, but that stuff\u2019s not always possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

GUERENDO SIDELINED<\/strong><\/p>\n

Running back Isaac Guerendo, a potential top backup to Christian McCaffrey, is out until at least late August after tearing a pectoral muscle while lifting weights last month, Shanahan said.<\/p>\n

Guerendo has dealt with hamstring, knee, ankle and shoulder injuries in his two years since arriving as a fourth-round pick.<\/p>\n

Jordan James served as Thursday\u2019s starter while Christian McCaffrey had the day off, after participating in Wednesday\u2019s OTA opener. Third-round pick Kaelon Black rotated in with James, Jermar Jefferson and Jordan Mims, the latter two of whom signed Thursday. Those roster spots opened as Sincere McCormick got waived and safety Darrick Forrest went on Injured Reserve.<\/p>\n

EVANS AMONG DNPs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wide receiver Mike Evans took part in Wednesday\u2019s initial OTAs before returning to his offseason home in Texas for family obligations, Shanahan said.<\/p>\n

Tight end George Kittle (Achilles), offensive lineman Brett Toth (unknown ailment), and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (knee) were among those doing conditioning work with trainers.<\/p>\n

LINEBACKERS\u2019 REUNION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw did not participate in team drills but instead watched them together from deep in the secondary, behind Morris and near general manager John Lynch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just feels like home, being beside a guy like Fred, his love for the game radiates throughout the team with his leadership and voice,\u201d Greenlaw said. \u201cTo have someone like that so confident next to you, it settles you and makes you feel like home.\u201d<\/p>\n

QUARTERBACK ROTATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Brock Purdy at the helm of the four-man quarterback unit, Mac Jones warmed up but did not take part in any team drills because of a sore shoulder, Shanahan said. Adrian Martinez and Kurtis Rourke worked in behind Purdy, whose best completion in 11-on-11 work was a deep shot to Ricky Pearsall down the right side against Eli Apple\u2019s coverage.<\/p>\n

TRAVEL PLANS<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 49ers will arrive in Australia a week ahead of their regular-season opener in Melbourne against the Los Angeles Rams. A three-game homestand follows for the 49ers, but Shanahan said, \u201cthat doesn\u2019t mean anything. It means you\u2019re going to have three more road games in December and January. So, that\u2019s my answer on three home games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another extended trip awaits, as they\u2019ll likely go right from visiting the Dallas Cowboys to altitude training in Colorado Springs, Colo., before hosting the Minnesota Vikings in Mexico City. \u201cThe main thing with Mexico City is it\u2019s 2,000 miles (actually, 2,070-feet) higher than Denver. And so, we like to get adjusted to that altitude,\u201d Shanahan said.<\/p>\n

LEFT GUARD BATTLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Connor Colby lined up at left guard on the first-string unit, followed by veteran Robert Jones in the offense\u2019s only open competition. Right tackle Colton McKivitz praised Colby\u2019s ability to play faster than his rookie-season cameo.<\/p>\n

JOINT PRACTICES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joint practices are expected to happen with the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers before those preseason games in August, Shanahan said. The 49ers host coach Robert Saleh\u2019s Titans on Aug. 15 before the 49ers pay an Aug. 20 visit to the Los Angeles Chargers and ex-Niners coach Jim Harbaugh. Training camp isn\u2019t expected to open until July 31.<\/p>\n

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Nick Bosa is encouraged about his ACL recovery after initial doubts of a comeback as the 49ers’ star defensive end<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n49ers’ Nick Bosa’s love of game kept him from quitting after ACL tear - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=723\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"49ers’ Nick Bosa’s love of game kept him from quitting after ACL tear - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nick Bosa is encouraged about his ACL recovery after initial doubts of a comeback as the 49ers' star defensive end\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=723\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-29T05:08:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"49ers’ Nick Bosa’s love of game kept him from quitting after ACL tear\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-29T05:08:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723\"},\"wordCount\":1245,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/e2b636b001492e8dc361380e42a0a2db.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=723\",\"name\":\"49ers’ Nick Bosa’s love of game kept him from quitting after ACL tear - 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