MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)When star defensive end Nick Bosa went down with a torn ACL in Week 2, the league lost one of its brightest young players for the year. The injury also effectively ended the San Fransisco 49ers hopes at making it back to the Super Bowl before the season really got underway.
The 2019 NFC West champs went 6-10 in 2020, due largely to the loss of Bosa and a handful of other key contributors. The 49ers were forced to watch the postseason go by without them as they started their preparation for next fall with a hopefully clean slate.
Bosa should be one of the most important additions back on the roster when the 2021 season gets underway. The 23-year-old confirmed that recently and also sent a message to the rest of the NFL, putting the league on notice for his return.
“You’ll see my progress on the field next year. Tell them I’m gonna be better,” Bosa said on a phone call with NFL insider Josina Anderson.
I spoke w/ #49ers DL Nick Bosa (ACL) on the phone real quick before his workout in Ft Lauderdale, Florida today. Bosa says right now he still wants to lay low while he continues to rehab, but told me, “You’ll see my progress on the field next year. Tell them I’m gonna be better.”
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 23, 2021
Bosa’s proclamation falls right in line with what 49ers general manager John Lynch said about the 23-year-old’s recovery earlier this year.
“Bosa is doing great in his recovery,” Lynch said in early January, via Pro Football Talk. “He had a significant injury to his knee but like everything in life, he attacks it head on and 100 percent. The only thing with him is pulling him back so he’s not doing too much. … He’s making tremendous progress, we’re very pleased with where he’s at.”
San Fransisco will obviously be thankful to get back Bosa next fall. The 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year tallied 47 total tackles and nine sacks in his first season in the league, so clearly has the ability to be a long-time contributor at the NFL level.
If Bosa can return to form in his third year in San Fransisco, the 49ers should be right back in the mix come 2021.
