San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa plans to play Sunday in the regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bosa, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has been off the field for a month dealing with an ankle injury suffered Aug. 7 in practice.
General manager John Lynch said Saturday that Bosa’s week of practice would determine his Week 1 status. All signs Monday pointed to the 21-year-old being ready, and he punted any previous hesitation shown over playing in the opener.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been as motivated in my life to get back,” Bosa said. “I’ve had my sights set on playing my first NFL season. Every waking hour was spent getting my ankle right.”
Bosa has had three significant injuries in one year and hasn’t played in a game since Sept. 15 in Ohio State’s win over TCU. He sustained a core muscle injury in that game and shut it down for the entire 2018 college football season.
He missed a chunk of offseason workouts with a hamstring strain and had only 12 NFL practices under his belt as of Monday.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan snapped back at questions about Bosa’s durability this summer, but did not entirely rule out the concept of a snap count for Bosa until the team is confident he’s ready to be turned loose.
–Field Level Media
