With the news the Los Angeles Rams are not planning to have Aaron Donald on the field for Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, that should force the Niners to reevaluate their decision to let Nick Bosa play.
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris confirmed Bosa will be out there for the contest even though he is coming off an ACL tear and dealt with some tendinitis in the knee during training camp.
While he’s practiced in recent days and has looked pretty good, there’s a case to be made the 49ers should follow the same cautious approach the Rams are employing with Donald.
49ers may be wiser to rest Nick Bosa vs. Rams (like they are with Aaron Donald)
Bosa has torn his ACL three times in his career. This is the second time he’s torn his ACL in his right knee, and when a player has had multiple tears in the same knee, it’s only going to raise questions about just how effective he will be going forward in their career.
It’s important to note that Bosa tore his ACL in late September of last year. He’s going to try to return before a full calendar year, which certainly seems a bit risky, especially since he is now 28 years old. His body probably won’t bounce back the same way it did with previous injuries.
The Rams are taking a prudent approach with Donald. They are thinking about the playoffs, not Week 1, by not flying him to Australia.
Maybe the 49ers should be thinking along the same lines so they don’t rush Bosa back too soon and cause him to hurt himself further or have some sort of setback.
If the Niners are committed to letting Bosa play, then it has to be done in the most responsible and careful way possible. He shouldn’t play any more than half of the defensive snaps, and they should be subbing him out regularly to make sure he’s not exerting himself too much.
Pushing him beyond that would be reckless and could lead to trouble.
The temptation to push him will be there since odds are the 49ers won’t be getting a ton of pressure on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Pretty much the whole defensive line is banged up, and Bosa may end up being their best bet to get pressure, which is pretty sad, considering he’s likely not at full strength.
Still, the Niners must resist that thought if it creeps in. They’d probably be better served just keeping Bosa on the bench and letting him play in Week 2 if he’s ready.
But if he wants to play and the 49ers think he’s good enough to go, they just have to go about it in the smartest way possible.
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