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Rookie
Nick Bosa is seeing more playing time in recent weeks with the injuries that have struck the San Francisco 49ers defensive line. He averaged about 38 snaps per game through his first eight games this season. Since then, that average has increased to nearly 60, including a season-high 68 this past weekend against the New Orleans Saints.
Bosa dealt with an ankle injury at the start of the season, a setback that slowed him down a bit during the early weeks. He emerged from the 49ers' bye week feeling healthier and went on a run that included six sacks in four games.
Bosa has been limited to just one since then, and his sack total has sat at eight since Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers, and that was his lone sack in the past six games. Bosa remains among the top 10 most-productive pass rushers among edge defenders this season, according to Pro Football Focus, but his rank drops to No. 60 when you only look at the numbers since Week 9.
Robert Saleh was asked on Thursday if he's noticed any drop-off in the rookie pass rusher's productivity or play. The defensive coordinator believes much of it has to do with Bosa garnering more attention from opposing offenses.
"No, teams just, I've never seen a rookie get more attention than he's gotten," Saleh responded. "The amount of chips he gets, the amount of double teams, I've never seen anything like it. I can't believe teams are afraid of a rookie, but that's their problem."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan agrees that Bosa may be attracting more attention from the opposition.
"I thought he was unbelievable last game (against the Saints)," Shanahan said on Friday. "Not all over the stat sheet by any means, but when you're as good of a player as he is, and what he's put on tape, people are going to make it a very strong point to not allow you to get on the stat sheet.
"I think he's learning through that. I think earlier in the season, he got a little surprised when he was chipped. Now, he expects it, and I think he's gotten a lot better at that.
"I mean, they had a huge game plan to take care of him last week, and I still think he impacted that game as much as anyone on our defense."
In addition to his eight sacks this season, Bosa has racked up 38 tackles, two passes defensed, an interception, and a forced fumble through 13 games. With several members of the 49ers' relentless defensive front now done for the season, and other ailing players trying to work their way back, Bosa's in-game workload won't slow any time soon.
"He's been doing a good job with it," Saleh said. "He's one of the more relentless human beings in terms of taking care of his body, all the regen stuff that they've got. He does a fantastic job with it. You'd like to limit his reps, obviously. We want to make sure that he's not taking too much of a load.
"A lot of things have been happening, especially over the second half of the season, where it's kind of forcing our hand. But he does, credit to him, he does a great job getting himself ready to play on Sunday so he can handle it."
It's not uncommon for a player to be frustrated with his lack of playing time. The San Francisco 49ers have their share of players who complained, usually after leaving the team, about how they were underused or weren't given the opportunities to showcase their skills. You can add former 49ers wide receiver Willie Snead IV to that list.
On Friday, Snead shared his frustration on social media, writing, "All I want is to go back to a team that isn't afraid to let guys compete for a roster spot. These last 3 years been nothing short of entitlement…Competition breedz Champions." It's unclear what Snead was referring to when he said the past three years were "nothing short of
Around 40 players were at 49ers facilities in Santa Clara on Friday as the team held its annual rookie minicamp, which featured the team's 2024 draft class along with a crop of tryouts and undrafted signings.
Reporters were allowed to watch minicamp and met afterward with offensive lineman and third-round draft pick Dominick Puni, wide receiver and fourth-round draft pick Jacob Cowing, and linebacker and seventh-round draft pick Tatum Bethune. Here's a wrap-up of the highlights and observations posted by reporters to social media, along with some quotes of note to come from the three rookies after practice.
All eyes on Pearsall
The main attraction on Friday was wide receiver and first-round draft pick Ricky Pearsall, who drew some praise for his
Rookie Dominick Puni is stepping into an exciting opportunity, with many speculating whether the third-round pick can contend for a starting position on the San Francisco 49ers offensive line. The team was so intrigued by Puni that it traded up eight spots, securing his arrival in the Bay Area.
ESPN analyst Matt Miller, a longtime 49ers fan, recently shared his enthusiasm for the Puni pick, lauding the offensive lineman's physicality, athleticism, and versatility.
"I think he'll be a guard," Miller said on the "No Huddle" podcast. "I don't see any chance of him playing tackle unless it's a little bit of a
New 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen may not have all the answers yet in regards to how his defense will perform in the upcoming season, but it sounds like his approach will remain largely similar to what the team has done in the past under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Sorensen held his first media session as 49ers defensive coordinator before the team's rookie minicamp on Friday and provided a glimpse on how he wants his defense to look once they take the field in September. The plan is to show the NFL that the 49ers haven't changed much in terms of intensity and flying to the ball.
"I want them to see we're still the standard of what we've always been -- an attacking defense that plays fast," Sorensen said. "We play violent. We play with speed, and we
