Nick Bosa was back on the practice field with the San Francisco 49ers over the weekend, and his teammate Trent Williams couldn’t really tell he’d missed almost a full year. That’s not coachspeak or offseason optimism. The left tackle was genuinely surprised.
Bosa tore his ACL in Week 3 of the 2025 season against the Arizona Cardinals, ending his year right when it was getting started. He hadn’t practiced with the team since that September afternoon. But when he lined up Sunday, Williams said the pass rusher looked like he’d never been hurt.
“I see him every day. I couldn’t even tell that he had an injury or he came back from anything,” Williams told reporters. “Most people with a knee injury that catastrophic, you come back, you can see something, right? You can see it in the atrophy and the muscle in the legs. You can see something.”
Williams didn’t stop there. He went further, comparing Bosa’s current form to what he saw before the injury. “Bosa looks better than he did before I seen him last year, before he got hurt last year,” Williams said. “So it’s just a commitment to him and how hard he works. And you know, a guy that’s successful with that much, for him, his motor is still running as high as it does. I think it’s just a testament to his character.”
What Bosa’s Return Means for the 49ers Defense
San Francisco’s defense was still good without Bosa — they finished 13th in DVOA against the pass last season, per FTN. But they weren’t the terror they’d been in 2023, when Bosa posted 15.5 sacks and wrecked game plans. The edge pressure wasn’t the same. Opposing quarterbacks had time they shouldn’t have had.
Getting Bosa back at full strength changes the math for defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. With him on one side, it takes attention away from the rest of the front seven. It makes the secondary’s job easier. It turns a good defense into one that can carry the team through stretches where the offense sputters.
Of course, this is July. Practice is practice. The real test comes when the Rams show up in Week 1 on Sept. 10. But Williams’ confidence is worth noting. He’s not a guy who gushes about teammates for no reason. When he says Bosa looks better than before, that carries weight in the locker room.
Bosa himself hasn’t said much publicly about his recovery. He’s been methodical, focused on the process. The 49ers have been cautious with him, easing him into drills. But Williams’ comments suggest the caution might not be necessary for much longer.
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