SANTA CLARA — The 49ers took it easy on defensive end Nick Bosa this week, hoping to reverse the effects of a hip injury that got worse when he played through a Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If all goes according to plan, Bosa will get his usual heavy workload when the 49ers (5-4) host the Seattle Seahawks (3-5) Sunday, befitting the NFL’s highest paid defensive player at an average salary of $34 million.
Bosa, as well as two other star players, left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) are all listed as questionable to play and the reality is each may need to be nursed to a distant regular season finish line with nearly half the schedule left to play.
In other words, business as usual in the NFL. Teams weigh the health of their players by the week, knowing there’s depreciation involved and that nobody is the same physically as they were when the season began.
The dilemma with Bosa is that as a defensive end, he plays at one of the thinnest positions on the roster. The 49rers welcome back Yetur Gross-Matos this week. An offseason free agent signing, Gross-Matos hurt his knee at the end of training camp, sat out the opener and played 81 snaps in Weeks 2 through 4 before the knee got worse and he went on injured reserve.
The hoped for a consistent edge presence opposite Bosa has not materialized. Seattle provides an opportunity to get some traction with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and starting center Connor Williams abruptly retiring this week at age 27.
Gross-Matos, 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, can play as a set-the-edge end or inside at tackle. The 49ers can use all the help they can get at end, where Leonard Floyd starts opposite Bosa with Sam Okuayinonu and Robert Beal Jr. in reserve. Beal, who the 49ers hoped would provide a pass rush presence, has no sacks and is getting precious little playing time.
With Floyd providing three sacks so far and Okuayinonu providing three more, the 49ers have 22 sacks, tied for 17th in the NFL.
That makes it difficult to take Bosa off the field for purposes of having more burst. Shanahan is hoping easing off in practice will get Bosa back on track in terms of his health.
“It was a real light week. I think it acted up during the game more than he thought it would and it was really bothering him,” Shanahan said Friday. “Hopefully with rest he’ll feel better this week.”
Bosa’s sack total of 5 1/2 is middle of the road. At his present rate he’ll wind up somewhere near the 10 1/2 he had last year under the first year of his five-year, $170 million contract. In 2021 and 2022, Bosa had 34 sacks in 33 regular season games and in 2022 was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year with 18 1/2 sacks.
That doesn’t mean the 49ers would want their money back even if it was possible. According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa has won enough at the line of scrimmage for a 90.4 grade, trailing only T.J. Watt (93.5), Khalil Mack (91.6) and Myles Garrett (91.3) among edge players.
It was apparent early against Tampa Bay that Bosa was less than 100 percent. He did little damage against Tristin Wirfs, one of the top tackles in the NFL. Wirfs left in the first half with a knee sprain, in theory opening the door to get to quarterback Baker Mayfield.
But the struggle continued against Justin Skule, a former sixth round pick by the 49ers out of Vanderbilt in 2019 who failed to make the roster at the final cutdown in 2022.
“It’s probably the worst thing I’ve had to play through,” Bosa said.
To his credit, despite playing in 90-plus degree heat, Bosa played in 52 of 61 snaps (85 percent), which is about the same rate he’s played this season through nine games (478 snaps, 86 percent). And he was better at the end against Tampa Bay than he was at the beginning.
On third-and-13 from the Tampa Bay 27, Bosa sacked Baker Mayfield for a 10-yard loss with 5:47 to play, had a near-sack on a miraculous throw on the run by Mayfield and made two big plays in the run game that set up the Bucs’ 26-yard field goal to tie the game.
“He battled hard throughout the game and I thought he was real impressive on those last two drives,” Shanahan said.
Edge rusher Nick Bosa had to gut through a painful hip injury for the 49ers in Week 10 against Tampa Bay. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group
Getting Bosa off his feet on defense is similar to being faced with resting Christian McCaffrey on offense — no coach is ever comfortable taking one of his best players off the field.
“We try to, but we want to win the game,” defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said. “I think it’s something Bosa is willing to do.”
Bosa took pride in getting through the game and finishing with a flourish.
“I definitely was dealing with some adversity, but you just have to not feel bad for yourself out there,” Bosa said. “If you’re not good enough to go, then don’t go. But I felt I was good enough to give my team a better opportunity. I’m kind of proud of that.”
General manager John Lynch watched Bosa closely, and the 49ers have tried to keep Bosa from wearing out in practice while letting him go during games.
“I could see it was hurting him,” Lynch told KNBR-680. “I think he did learn that he worked through it in practice last week when it was probably better to take a little rest. Nick plays so hard I think sometimes just a little bit off his legs is a good thing for him and for us.”
When it comes to edge rushers, how much is too much? Bosa is playing the highest percentage of snaps in his career through nine games. The only big-named edge players who come off the field less are the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby (95 percent in eight games) and Pittsburgh’s Watt (91 percent).
Garrett, who succeeded Bosa last season as the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, is playing 74 percent of the snaps. Cincinnati edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who leads the NFL with 11 sacks, plays 67 percent of the time. Before he went down for the season with a knee injury, Aidan Hutchinson of Detroit was at 81 percent through five games.
Following Seattle, the 49ers have difficult road assignments at Green Bay and Buffalo. Since other than early games against the Jets and New England Patriots, most have been down to the wire so there hasn’t been much of a chance to get Bosa off his feet.
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While Shanahan would welcome a one-sided win — the 49ers the past two season were adept at putting teams away when they had them down — he’s not expecting many.
“The last two years have been a little different where (this year) we haven’t had too many of those,” Shanahan told KNBR-680. “I think, myself included, got spoiled with that. This is what I remember most of my years (in the NFL), and games always come down to the wire.”
Which means Bosa is on the field to start and Bosa is on the field to finish.
As long as he holds up.