Nick Bosa Knee Rehab Leaves 49ers Return Unclear

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa remains out of team practices as he deals with soreness and tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that the 28-year-old has not taken part in drills since August 3, and the team has not set a firm date for his full return.

Shanahan said the inflammation is improved compared with earlier evaluations, but officials have continued to describe Bosa’s status as dependent on how the knee responds on a day-to-day basis. That approach has left one of San Francisco’s central defensive pieces on the sideline during a key stretch of preparation.

Bosa’s practice absence and the day-to-day plan

Officials said the organization is monitoring ongoing irritation Officials said the organization is monitoring ongoing irritation in the right knee, with participation decisions tied to daily feedback and medical assessment. The team has not outlined a definitive schedule for when Bosa will be able to return to full on-field work. Shanahan added that the 49ers’ medical staff is following a conservative workload plan. He described the approach as similar to how the team handled running back Christian McCaffrey, prioritizing controlled progression instead of an aggressive ramp-up. Right-knee history and recent production Bosa’s current rehab traces back to a September 2023 injury that required surgery, officials said. Since that procedure, the right-knee issue has affected his availability, limiting him to 17 total appearances across the past two seasons.

Over the same span

In those games, he recorded 11 sacks. Over the same span, the stretch included his first campaign since 2023 in which he did not reach double-digit sacks, a notable marker for a defender whose output is closely linked to San Francisco’s pass-rush identity.

Practical uncertainty for the defensive rotation

For the 49ers’ defense, the lack of a set return date creates uncertainty as coaches build toward the upcoming season. The team must prepare and evaluate its edge rotation while also accounting for the possibility that a cornerstone player could remain limited for an undefined period.

Officials have framed the next steps around continued monitoring as inflammation and irritation are assessed over time. For now, Bosa’s availability for upcoming training sessions and games remains contingent on how the knee responds.

The team has not provided additional specifics on a timetable, and Shanahan did not commit to a target date. Until that changes, the 49ers’ plan appears centered on incremental workload decisions rather than a single return milestone.