Now that the San Francisco 49ers know they will be without their star edge rusher Nick Bosa for the rest of the season, their focus must turn to how they can survive going forward.
Clearly, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos is going to have to play a bigger role.
The former second-round pick has underachieved in his career, given where he was taken in the draft and his profile as a tall pass-rusher. He has not done a ton in three games this season, as he has just one tackle and one hit on the quarterback, but he has also been dealing with injuries.
The Niners' 2024 free-agent pickup has not been able to practice a ton, given those injuries, but the 49ers are going to be asking more from him at least in the short term as they try to account for Bosa's loss.
Yetur Gross-Matos might hold key for 49ers surviving without Nick Bosa
Gross-Matos is a player the Niners have been high on for some time. There is a reason he was not included in the offseason purge of defensive linemen that saw the release of veterans like Leonard Floyd and Maliek Collins.
When San Francisco drafted Mykel Williams in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, it seemed to spell trouble for Gross-Matos. He has certainly seen less playing time with Williams out there more often, but the injury to Bosa has given the 27-year-old pro a chance to shed his underachiever label and finally prove he can be an effective pass-rusher.
Expect to see the 49ers use Gross-Matos more on third downs or expected passing downs since that is where he has usually been used. However, that is also how veteran Bryce Huff has typically been deployed, while Williams has seemed to be more effective against the run.
Huff and Gross-Matos may be the two best pass-rushers San Francisco has now, so they figure to see a lot of action on downs when the Niners are trying to get to the quarterback. But with the Bosa injury, they are going to have to be effective against the run as well.
Maybe this is the opportunity Gross-Matos needed to finally have a breakout season and prove himself as an effective edge rusher.
If he cannot step up, then the Niners may be forced to trade for a more proven option.