Getty Nick Bosa
Torn ACL.
Core muscle surgery.
Strained hamstring.
“Significant” ankle sprain.
These are a few of Nick Bosa’s not-so-favorite things, his laundry list of injuries dating back to high school. The former Ohio State stud and current San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end hasn’t exactly been Mr. Reliable over the duration of his prolific football career, which culminated with him becoming the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft.
The latter ailment, sustained during Wednesday’s training camp practice, will force Bosa to sit out the entire preseason and makes him questionable for Week 1 of the regular season.
Meaning San Francisco won’t get a return on its massive investment for the foreseeable future, because Bosa’s 265-pound body has failed him yet again.
Injury-prone, right?
Wrong.
“Everyone acts like he’s a guy who is going to get hurt, [but] I’ve been around one of the most physical rookies in practice, as far as playing the run, playing the pass. He gets after it. He’s tough as could be,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, via Pro Football Talk. “[The] last thing he wants to do is get hurt.
“He’s trying to go out there and play with [a sprained ankle]. He wants to come back tomorrow. He had an over-300-pound man land on his leg, and it was very fortunate that we didn’t lose him for the year.”
Bosa underwent an MRI on his ankle which showed no structural or ligament damage beyond the sprain.
The brother of Los Angeles Chargers star Joey Bosa and career collegiate owner of 29 tackles for loss and 18 sacks, Nick is locked in as the 49ers’ starting defensive end opposite Dee Ford in San Francisco’s 4-3 scheme.
Lynch Comments on Bosa’s Status
Niners general manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR to discuss Bosa’s injury and his estimated timetable for return.
Lynch confirmed the 21-year-old edge rusher will be sidelined through August and into September.
“We won’t see in the preseason and we’ll go from there,” he said Thursday morning, via beat reporter Matt Maiocco. ” … We’ll get him right and he’ll be a great player for a long time in this league.”
The 49ers open the preseason Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium.
Injury Bug Biting Hard
Separate from Bosa, the 49ers are dealing with a host of injured players, including Ford (knee), DE Ronald Blair (groin), defensive tackle Arik Armstead (calf), and cornerback Jason Verrett (ankle), who also required an MRI after going down Wednesday.
It appears Shanahan may have jinxed himself in June amid Organized Team Activities.
“You always want to keep improving, so we’ll never say, ‘All right, we made it,’” he said at the time, per NBC Sports Bay Area. “This is the first year going into a year that — I want to say this truthfully, but it is — it’s the first year that we can overcome injuries.
“We expect to have injuries. That’s part of football. But I’m definitely a lot more confident going into this year if that does happen, we have guys who have experience. And we also have guys who have some talent who can step in and help us out.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter @KelbermanNFL.