Bosa’s surprising participation in 49ers OTAs is a welcome sight for the team originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – For the first time since 2019, star defensive tackle Nick Bosa was present for the 49ers’ voluntary workouts.
And it was a welcome sight for his coaches and teammates.
“I love Nick being around, I love that he gets a chance to play football with the guys and stuff… I’m glad he’s here for week one and I hope he continues,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. to reporters on Tuesday after the game. the team’s second organized team activities (OTA) practices.
“I mean, it’s cute. You could tell that meant something to him,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “Appearing in phase three, practicing on the field, is very special. For all of us to see this, it’s like ‘Okay, if Bosa is taking this seriously, then we all should.’
“But regardless, being on the field, giving our guys looks, offensive line looks, to me, pocket movement, all that type of stuff, it’s huge. But for him to be back in the building around the guys, it means a lot and it makes us all excited to start the season.
Bosa was asked why he decided to attend and said he made the decision after a recent conversation with Shanahan, who thought it would be a good idea for him to participate. Bosa agreed and felt it would be a nice change of pace in the middle of his intense off-season workout program in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“I just talked to Kyle and he kind of asked me,” Bosa revealed. “He kind of stated how he felt about why it would be good for me to be here and asked if I agreed and I agreed 100 percent. I’m doing it at home so it’s good active recovery for me and I’m specifically working on football so it’s not compromising my training at all.”
Despite his consistency on the field, Bosa’s offseasons since entering the NFL in 2019 have been anything but. Between the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, recovering from an ACL injury in 2021 and his contract suspension last summer, the former Defensive Player of the Year wants to experience a normal offseason.
“I think it’s good to meet the new guys, we have a lot of new faces this year,” Bosa added. “Just helping the new ones out. I don’t think there’s been a normal off-season for me in terms of — we had COVID, we had my injury and the contract situation — so it’s kind of a new year. I want to be around, it’s good be around.”
Bosa feels healthy and refreshed and is ready to begin a normal ramp-up for what will be his sixth NFL season.
“I feel really good. I think it was one of my best offseasons in just…it was a long year, so I took it nice and slow to come back,” Bosa explained. “I’m not as young as I used to be, so I’m going a little slower. Everything is great, I’m feeling as good as ever.
“I’m excited to actually get some practice in. Last year was kind of tough to play in Week 1 after the walkthrough. That was another reason I’m excited to be here, just to get some practice in. In the season practice is a thing, but being able to work on your stuff and not have a game coming up is good.”
He and the 49ers hope this will help the team get over the hump and finally accomplish their longtime goal of hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.
