Nick Bosa's 2026 season has encountered another interruption.
The 49ers edge rusher suffered a calf injury during practice this week and is expected to miss multiple weeks, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Friday. It remains to be seen if he will be placed on injured reserve, Rapoport and Schefter added.
Coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed later Friday that Bosa hurt his calf ahead of Thursday's practice and will be out "a few weeks," but will return this season.
Bosa's 2025 season ended before it reached October when he suffered an ACL injury that required season-ending surgery in late September, placing him on a long road back to the field in 2026. That journey appeared to be complete when training camp began, but irritation and swelling in the same knee forced him to miss time during preseason preparations.
Fortunately, Bosa was able to return in time for Week 1 on a limited basis, playing on a pitch count over the first two games in order to help him acclimate without pushing his knee too quickly.
His appearance on the team's injury report this week with knee and rest specifications was not surprising; the addition of the calf ailment, however, became the latest blow to the 49ers' banged up defensive front.
San Francisco lost Alfred Collins to a torn patellar tendon and Sam Okuayinonu to a broken foot in the first two weeks of the regular season, added defensive tackle CJ West to injured reserve this week and were already entering this season without edge Mykel Williams, who is also returning from a torn ACL suffered in 2025. Bosa was one of the last (and best) men standing along this front.
For the next few weeks, San Francisco will have to find a way to manage. Edge Romello Height won't participate in Sunday's game against Arizona, but veterans Ogbo Okoronkwo and Keion White are available to play.
But as was the case in 2025, the 49ers are once again incredibly thin defensively and are already determining who will or won't land on IR with the chance to return. Week 3 is simply too early for these challenges; the 49ers will hope Bosa can make a quick recovery.
