San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa says he is ready to return after a calf injury kept him out of five games, with coach Kyle Shanahan planning limited practice work for him Wednesday. The 49ers (6-1) host the Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) on Sunday after their bye week. Bosa's comments express confidence in his recovery, but do not establish that he has been cleared to play.
Bosa last appeared in Week 2. He recorded seven tackles and no sacks in the season's first two games, and San Francisco went 4-1 during his absence. His return would give the defense an established edge rusher as it incorporates defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, whom the 49ers reacquired from Indianapolis last week.
Buckner had 31 tackles and four sacks in seven starts for the Colts this season. That is recent production San Francisco can add to its interior, rather than relying only on his history with the franchise. Bosa and Buckner played together in 2019, Bosa's rookie season.
The 49ers subsequently traded Buckner to Indianapolis in 2020. Bosa said he had jokingly raised a possible reunion with Buckner to Shanahan a couple of months earlier. Bosa described tweaking his calf during normal warmup drills.
He said he had been managing tendinitis and might have been favoring it. The injury took longer to recover from than he expected, Bosa said. Wednesday's planned limited workload marks a step in that recovery rather than a full-practice declaration.
The No. 2 pick out of Ohio State in 2019, Bosa led the NFL with 18.5 sacks and won AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He has 64.5 career sacks. San Francisco acquired Buckner on Oct. 28 for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
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