San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since August 3, taking a significant step toward being ready for the team's Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Bosa appeared in just three games last season before suffering an ACL injury but was medically cleared at the start of training camp. However, his return suffered a setback after he experienced soreness and tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee.
Wednesday's session was the 49ers' final practice before departing for Melbourne, Australia, where they will face the Rams on September 10 in a Week 1 NFC West showdown.
The star pass rusher is confident he will be on the field for the season opener. He shared that Wednesday's practice "felt great" and was "very encouraging."
When asked whether he was confident he would play against the Rams, Bosa replied, "After today, yeah. It was pretty good."
While Bosa remains optimistic about his Week 1 availability, he acknowledged that the setback during his training camp ramp-up was frustrating.
"If every day of football practice you're this happy, it would be an easy job," Bosa said. "You put in so much work, you rehab for so long, and then you think you're coming back, and then you're not. Then you're back to doing workouts every day, and it's just monotonous. It kind of wears on you.
"But then you realize why you do it, and get back, and you're around the guys, and you truly feel part of the brotherhood. And take it one day at a time, but today was a great day."
Bosa later admitted that he may have ramped up his workload too quickly at the start of training camp.
"It kind of told me to back off," Bosa said. "I've just been trying to get it as strong and as confident in myself, as confident as I can, to where I could rip the Band-Aid off and go to team [drills] today. Because once you get into team, there's no reservations, there's no ... taking a little effort. There's no governor.
"So yeah, I felt that today. I remember my last ACL, there was a couple moments where you just have to go, and you're kind of hoping for the best. Obviously, you know it's not going to be like anything crazy is going to happen, but you hope that your body is going to respond the way that you prepared it to. And there's a couple moments today where that happened.
"So I'm just going to try and keep building, not get too up about it. But it was a great day."
Bosa is entering his eighth NFL season after the 49ers selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since entering the league, he has amassed 64.5 sacks and established himself as one of the NFL's premier pass rushers.
Last season's ACL injury was the second of Bosa's NFL career and his third overall. Now, after months of rehabilitation and a frustrating setback during training camp, the 49ers star appears increasingly confident that he will be ready when San Francisco opens the 2026 season against the Rams.
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