That goes for the entire defensive line. The players have seen their workloads increase due to several injuries. It has impacted the group's ability to substitute players in and out of the lineup and keep players fresh.
Shanahan, who joined KNBR on Thursday morning, believes Bosa is still playing at a very high level, despite the increased workload.
"I haven't seen Bosa breaking down," Shanahan told Paul McCaffrey, Adam Copeland, and Bonnie-Jill Laflin. "I see him still making plays out there, and he's still looking good. That doesn't mean we're going to keep doing it. We want to make it less, but he's been up for the challenge, and I've been very impressed with those guys so far."
Bosa has seen his snap count increase by 53 percent since the first eight games of the season. He averaged just over 38 snaps per game through Week 9 and nearly 59 snaps per game since, including a season- and career-high 68 during Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints.
"I think he had three plays off last game, if I remember right," Shanahan said. "That's definitely not our goal. It has definitely gotten a lot more challenging and stuff because of the injuries we've had and things like that. I know (Arik) Armstead was out there about the same amount. I think (DeForest) Buckner was too, give or take about five plays maybe at the most.
"It gets tougher the more guys you lose, and especially how crucial these games are right now. I want that to come down some, though. I think we can do it better, but some of the situations you get caught in, especially the passing situations, it's really tough to keep those guys off the field. Hopefully, we can balance that out better."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers injury report: Kyle Shanahan provides updates on Mike Evans, Nick Bosa, several others
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan planned to allow most of his starters to sit out Thursday night's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. For many, that is good news, as the team is dealing with several injuries. Shanahan spoke to reporters after Tuesday's... -
49ers reporter expresses concerns about the team's defensive line
The San Francisco 49ers may have enough bodies along the defensive line. Whether they have enough players who can consistently get after the quarterback is another question. That's the concern Matt Barrows of The Athletic raised recently, and it's one that could end up having a... -
49ers final preseason takeaways: O-Line, RB and WR competitions come into focus
In the final preseason game, while I was most interested in the interior of the offensive line, the competition among numerous position groups was on full display. How much various players played (or did not play) was telling. Let's take a look at some of those position... -
49ers roster building: Why John Lynch's offensive line approach raises concerns
Now that we are close to the end of training camp and the cutdown is a week away, all general managers will be watching the final games. They know they will have to release players they like and that other GMs will, too. They know they will need depth at certain positions, and...