Brandon Staley has transitioned from working with one Bosa to another. As the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, he worked with four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa. Now, he gets to work with Joey's younger brother, Nick Bosa, who also boasts four Pro Bowl selections and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2022.
Staley joined head coach Kyle Shanahan's staff and will serve as the assistant head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Speaking to reporters last week, he expressed his admiration for the Bosa brothers and considers himself fortunate to work with both.
"I think having to face Nick, you know what a challenge he is," Staley said. "And I've coached Khalil Mack, Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Leonard Floyd, and Nick's always a guy that we would watch. And I think, when I've been other places and we've had to face him, you just know the type of respect that he has in the game plan, that he's a true matchup player and one of the top players in the league."
Nick Bosa joined the 49ers for organized team activities (OTAs) last week. Typically, the defensive end trains away from the team during the voluntary portions of the offseason program. However, after a discussion with Shanahan this year, Bosa joined his teammates earlier than usual.
"He kind of stated how he felt about why it would be good for me to be here and asked if I agreed," Bosa said last week. "And I 100 percent did agree. ... It's not compromising my training at all, and I get to meet all the guys, so it's positive."
Bosa acknowledged that last year's contract negotiations might have affected his preparedness for the regular season. Bosa and the 49ers did not finalize a contract extension until just days before Week 1.
Despite the late start, Bosa delivered a 10.5-sack performance last season. However, this was a decrease from his previous two seasons, including the 18.5-sack effort that earned him NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022. Bosa aims to improve on last season's performance.
Staley noted that being around Bosa has deepened his respect for the talented pass rusher, saying, "I think I've gained a deeper appreciation of his game being here up close, and [defensive line coach] Kris [Kocurek] has done such a good job with him and Nick is one of the top players in the league."