49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa played an average of 47 snaps in 16 games last season. It sounds like he will play somewhere close to that in Sunday’s season opener against the Steelers despite not returning to the team until Thursday.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said the team has “an idea” of how much Bosa will play. He pointed out Bosa played 51 of 90 snaps in the 2021 season opener after only a week of practice time after working his way back from a torn ACL the previous season.
Bosa is ready for whatever.
“I’d be up for a normal workload, for sure,” Bosa said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “But I haven’t talked to him, yet.”
The 49ers cut defensive end Austin Bryant to return Bosa to the 53-player roster, and Bosa was on the team plane bound for Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon.
He signed his five-year, $170 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league and had a full practice Friday.
Bosa said he was greeted warmly after missing all of the offseason program, training camp, the preseason and the first practices for the regular season.
“It was unbelievable,” Bosa said. “I’ve been waiting for that moment. It was probably one of the biggest things I’ve been excited for is to walk in the building and see all the guys. I know they had my back. Players have each other’s backs in this league because it’s a business at the end of the day. It was very cool to see everybody.”