The San Francisco 49ers expect a significant boost with the return of pass rusher Nick Bosa. The team lost the talented defender early last season, and the defense never fully recovered from his absence.
Bosa has yet to participate in team drills this offseason. The 49ers are being careful while easing the defensive end back into action, knowing how crucial he is to the success of the upcoming season. Bosa is expected to return to practice next week as the team prepares for its final exhibition game, an August 29 matchup at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans spoke with reporters after today's joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers. The two teams play each other on Sunday. The coach was asked about what he's seen from Bosa, despite the defensive end being limited during practices.
"On the side, it looks really good," Ryans responded. "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. Like just falling on the ground and getting up and understanding that you're OK. 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."
That rookie campaign, by the way, was a pretty good one. Bosa was impressive on his way to being named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He racked up nine sacks and added four more during postseason play. An even better Bosa is bad news for opposing defenses.
"Adding Bosa next week, we'll see how he goes, easing him back in, coming off an injury," Ryans said. "It will be great just to have him out there and see if his presence will be felt."
But the high expectations aren't just for Bosa. Ryans feels his entire defensive front will be much improved. Veteran pass rusher Dee Ford appears to be on track for a return and has reportedly looked solid during the joint practices with the Chargers. San Francisco signed Samson Ebukam from the Los Angeles Rams and had other intriguing offseason additions.
No one on the team really wants to compare this unit to the one that frustrated offenses in 2019, but you can't help but wonder how it might stack up.
"I think, overall, our defensive line has done a really outstanding job throughout camp," Ryans said. "They've had constant pressure, constant knock-back from our D-Line, constantly in the backfield, causing havoc. And that's what I expect from our D-line because everything with our defense, it starts with our D-line.
"Them attacking, playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage, and I felt that from them all throughout camp, and also the past two days. They were causing havoc in the backfield, and that's the identity that they want for the D-line."