49ers star Nick Bosa reveals return target date from torn ACL: ‘I’m pretty far along’ 

The 49ers’ defensive line room received good news about star edge rusher Nick Bosa.

Bosa spent the second half of last season and the bulk of the offseason nursing a torn ACL he suffered in September against the Cardinals. When asked about his recovery, he told reporters he thinks he can be back by the start of training camp.

“I’m pretty far along,” Bosa told reporters Thursday. “[I’m] out on the field doing a lot of stuff, trying to just take it slow because I tend to push things quicker. I got injured pretty early last year, so there’s plenty of time for me to really kind of lay the groundwork to be ready for a long season. It’s going really well, and I plan on being ready.”

Bosa tore his ACL when he collided with Cardinals offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum and was knocked down on the same play by guard Evan Brown. Bosa’s knee bent awkwardly, ending his season.

Nick Bosa expects to be on the field for the 49ers when they open the season Sept. 10 against the Rams in Australia.

Bosa’s injury was described as “clean” by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan because there was no other ligament or meniscus damage.

In his football career, he’s had two torn ACLs. The first time was during his senior year of high school on his right knee. In Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season, he tore his left ACL.

Now in familiar territory, Bosa is taking a different approach.

“When I did it in ’20, it was just like balls to the wall, get back, push every milestone as hard as you possibly can, and I probably dealt with some stuff that I didn’t need to deal with in terms of just kind of the bumps in the road of recovery,” Bosa said. “Now, I’m taking it slow, and I kind of have references to go back and look at.”

For the San Francisco defensive line, Bosa isn’t the only member from last season’s team returning from an injury.

Nick Bosa was crowned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 after collecting 18.5 sacks. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Mykel Williams, selected with the 11th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, had an underwhelming start after starring at Georgia. He recorded 20 tackles and a sack through nine games before tearing his ACL on Nov. 2.

Bosa will look to return to his 2022 form, when he was crowned the NFL Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 18.5 sacks.