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The San Francisco 49ers are close to kicking off their 2026 season and they're going to do it with key guys back on the sideline dressed in pads.
Niner Faithful were able to rejoice about the latest injury news for tight end George Kittle − he's available for the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams
in Melbourne, Australia.Well, things just got a lot better.
Niners defensive end Nick Bosa will also play in the season opener against the Rams.
It's Bosa's first game back in nearly a year. The five-time Pro Bowler spent the entire offseason preparing to return after an ACL injury in his right knee suffered during Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season against the Arizona Cardinals
(Sept. 21, 2025), causing him to miss the rest of the year.
Although he only appeared in the first three games last season, he tallied 17 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. The Niners went 3-0 in that span and their defense was one of the best early on.
San Francisco has to be delighted to have Bosa back. He adds a ferocity to the defense and strikes fear into opponents' hearts whenever he's on the field, and healthy.
With Bosa's return, the 49ers hope to get back to that level of play defensively, with new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris calling the shots. Morris said earlier in the week that they're "not hiding" the fact that Bosa would play during Week 1 of the 2026 season.
And if you ask Bosa, he's "100%" ready.
"It's never a dull moment here. You could think you're through the worst of it, and then you have a setback or something. I've been lucky where I've been able to come back from a few of them and get to myself out there in the field, but it's a grind," Bosa told reporters during a Sept. 9 availability. "There's some days where you go to bed thinking like, damn, I don't know if I'm gonna be all right, and then the next day you feel good, and it's just a roller coaster. So, I'm feeling really happy. I mean, I couldn't be happier with where I'm at. I'm 100% ready to go for the first game, so it's gonna be great."
Bosa was taken out of Ohio State with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the 49ers. He's spent his entire career in the Bay Area, earning 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2022 Defensive Player of the Year honors and five Pro Bowl nods.
His career stats include 278 total tackles, 64.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, nine pass deflections and two interceptions in 85 games played.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Nick Bosa playing today? Injury update for 49ers star
