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San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa will return to the practice field this week and is still on track to play in the season opener in Australia despite missing nearly a month with tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee.
Bosa and tight end George Kittle, who is working back from a torn Achilles tendon, will be ramped up this week with the goal of playing in Week 1, coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. General manager John Lynch said Bosa is following a plan that the team believes will have him ready to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10 in Melbourne (Sept. 11 local time). The coach and GM sounded optimistic, though noncommittal, about Kittle’s availability as well.
Bosa was absent from Monday’s practice, but the 49ers also have sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Bosa, who turns 29 in October, last practiced Aug. 3. He is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in September, which kept him out of all but three games of the 2025 season. It was his third ACL surgery and his second on his right knee, dating back to high school. Lynch said Bosa’s experience recovering from the injury has helped the team be more patient this summer.
“Nick’s been through this before with ACLs. Nick’s pretty blessed with tremendous genes and was going along great,” Lynch said. “When he upped the activity, he got sore, so he backed off, and we put together a really good plan that we believe will have him ready for Australia.
“I always believe that the athlete knows their body better than anyone, and Nick certainly takes that to the nth degree. He knows his body extremely well.”
Including Bosa, the 49ers kept only four defensive ends on their initial 53-man roster as the cutdown deadline passed Sunday: Keion White, Sam Okuayinonu and third-round rookie Romello Height. Veteran Ogbo Okoronkwo was added to the practice squad Monday, and he could be a candidate to be elevated and play early in the season.
Mykel Williams, the 49ers’ first-round pick in 2025, must sit out at least the first four games after being placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. He is recovering from his own torn ACL, suffered in November. Lynch said the team wanted to give him additional time to recover because he also had cartilage damage.
Kittle, who tore his Achilles in January and turns 33 in October, was activated from the physically unable to perform list Aug. 23. Two weeks ago, he said he had a chance to face the Rams in the opener but acknowledged he wouldn’t put the rest of the season at risk to rush back for Week 1.
George Kittle is back on the practice field
Matt Barrows
Kittle said if he doesn’t face the Rams, he would prefer not to travel to Australia so he could focus on his rehab. The 49ers will fly out Wednesday evening and arrive in Melbourne on Friday morning. Shanahan said the team would prefer to decide before the flight but doesn’t necessarily have to.
“It’d be much nicer to make that decision before we left,” the coach said. “Hopefully these three practices will go the right way and make it an easy decision to put him on the plane.”
The 49ers kept four tight ends on the initial roster, though one of them, Brayden Willis, is recovering from a concussion.
Other news and notes
• The team re-signed safety Ashtyn Davis and punter Corliss Waitman and placed cornerback Nate Hobbs (groin) and linebacker Nick Martin (hamstring) on injured reserve, ruling them out for at least four games each.
• The 49ers also brought veteran long snapper Jon Weeks back to the practice squad. He can be promoted for three games before he must be signed back to the active roster.
• Shanahan said the 49ers haven’t decided on a starting left guard yet, saying, “It’s fluid.” It appears the team could be going with the element of surprise ahead of a matchup with Aaron Donald, fresh out of retirement.
Fifth-round rookie Carver Willis appears to be the favorite after veteran Robert Jones was released. Perhaps newly acquired lineman Jarrett Patterson will get a look, too, as Shanahan said he has the flexibility to play center or guard.
• Three receivers changed their jersey numbers. Jacob Cowing is now No. 4, De’Zhaun Stribling switched to No. 7, his high school number, and Demarcus Robinson chose No. 11, which was previously worn by Brandon Aiyuk.
Lynch said Aiyuk is not due to get any bonus money on Sept. 1 because he’s still on the reserve/left squad list. “He’s kind of not on our roster,” Lynch said.
• Right guard Dominick Puni, offensive tackle Vederian Lowe, quarterback Kurtis Rourke, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and safety Malik Mustapha were back at practice on Monday after missing time recently with injuries. Wide receiver Mike Evans, defensive tackle Gracen Halton, cornerback Renardo Green, linebacker Luke Gifford, Willis, Cowing and Hobbs worked on a side field. Bosa, Height and Prysock were not visible to reporters during the open portion of practice.
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