SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Even because the San Francisco 49ers held out hope {that a} Monday morning MRI would present that defensive finish Nick Bosa had averted a critical proper knee damage, Bosa himself was already resigned to what the imaging would point out.
Which is why, when Kyle Shanahan spoke to Bosa after the win towards the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday evening, Bosa advised his coach to anticipate the worst: a torn ACL in his proper knee.
Because it turned out, Bosa, who has torn ACLs in each knees beforehand, was right. The checks revealed he did have a torn proper ACL, and he’ll miss the remainder of the season, Shanahan stated Monday afternoon.
“He was fairly assured that he did it,” Shanahan stated. “You might inform strolling on the sector, seeing his face and will inform speaking to him final evening simply how positive he was of it and realizing his physique, after which an MRI confirmed it this morning.”
Bosa, 27, will want season-ending surgical procedure as soon as the swelling within the knee subsides, and the Niners will transfer ahead with out certainly one of their defensive stalwarts and the 2022 NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months. The 49ers will get nearly $7 million in wage cap reduction in 2026 due to their insurance coverage coverage for a season-ending damage, a supply advised ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler.
If there’s any silver lining to Bosa’s damage, it is that the tear to the ACL wasn’t accompanied by injury to every other ligament, Shanahan stated.
“I used to be advised it is as clear because it will get,” Shanahan stated. “When it comes to when you have an ACL, I used to be advised that is the type that you really want.”
Theoretically, that ought to make for a neater restoration for Bosa, who has been by them earlier than. Bosa partially tore the ACL in his proper knee as a senior in highschool and tore the ACL in his left knee throughout Week 2 of the 2020 season.
Bosa sustained his most up-to-date damage with a couple of minute left in Sunday’s sport towards the Cardinals. He was dashing quarterback Kyler Murray from the left facet and engaged with left deal with Kelvin Beachum when guard Evan Brown came visiting for a double-team and knocked Bosa to the bottom.
Bosa’s proper knee appeared to bend awkwardly as he went down and Murray’s move fell incomplete. Bosa then walked slowly to the sideline, the place the Niners’ coaching employees started engaged on him as he laid on his again.
After a couple of moments, Bosa walked to the medical tent, the place he remained for about 5 minutes earlier than rising. He spent the following couple of minutes doing a little stretching and excessive knees however ultimately made his method to the locker room.
Shanahan stated Bosa did not give him an in depth rationalization of how he was injured however prompt it was dangerous luck with how his leg obtained caught up.
“It is simply how these issues occur loads, particularly with ACLs,” Shanahan stated. “They occur on air the vast majority of the time, and I do know it was his proper leg and he simply obtained it caught proper there and it went straight away.”
Though preliminary testing for an ACL tear on the sideline did not instantly recommend that Bosa appeared to know what was taking place in actual time, the tv broadcast noticed Bosa giving a thumbs-down to relations within the stands as he ambled to the locker room.
From there, he didn’t return to the sport and was dominated out at halftime. After the sport, Shanahan stated that the preliminary take a look at of the ACL on the sideline hadn’t proven a tear however cautioned that Bosa and the staff had been nonetheless involved about the opportunity of a critical knee damage.
Bosa relayed these considerations to Shanahan on Sunday evening.
“He had a reasonably good concept of what we had been going to seek out out at present, however clearly, he’s bummed out,” Shanahan stated. “Nick can deal with something, and he will deal with it like he all the time does, which might be nice. However clearly, he was bummed out from not with the ability to end out this yr and particularly how good of a yr he was having thus far.”
Within the first two weeks earlier than the damage, Bosa had two sacks, eight pressures, 15 tackles and a 21.9% move rush win fee. He had made game-saving sacks late in wins towards the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.
Bosa’s 142 quarterback hits are essentially the most within the NFL courting to the 2021 season. Since Bosa entered the league in 2019, the 49ers are 65-32 in common and postseason video games with him enjoying and 6-12 when he hasn’t performed.
With out Bosa, a Niners protection that already featured eight new Week 1 starters from 2024 to 2025 might be much more depending on younger gamers and up to date additions.
Rookie Mykel Williams, Bryce Huff, Yetur Gross-Matos and Sam Okuayinonu are the remaining defensive ends on the roster, with Robert Beal Jr. and Trevis Gispon on the follow squad.
“You do not simply change a man like Nick,” Shanahan stated. “Everybody’s obtained to proceed to get higher at all the things.
“While you lose your higher gamers, it will get more durable. However all through this yr, I anticipate all of our gamers to get higher because it goes. And that is confused even that rather more whenever you lose a fantastic one like Nick. A number of guys clearly should step it up because it goes, however I consider that’ll be extra by committee than any particular person.”
As for potential commerce choices, Shanahan provided his traditional stance that the Niners would all the time look into their choices, however he did not sound as if he was in a rush to make a transfer.
“We’ll have a look at trades like we all the time do, however there’s obtained to be commerce choices that make sense for you and one other staff,” Shanahan stated. “You may’t simply do this stuff simply to do it.”
Elsewhere on the damage entrance, Shanahan stated quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) will proceed to get extra concerned in follow on Wednesday, and the staff will see if he has any limitations earlier than deciding if he is prepared for a much bigger follow workload.
Backup quarterback Mac Jones (knee) is taken into account day-to-day, as are defensive deal with CJ West (thumb), cornerback Renardo Inexperienced (neck), large receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder) and defensive finish Williams (wrist).
Wideout Demarcus Robinson can also return this week. He was faraway from the reserve/suspended listing on Monday afternoon.