The 49ers Expect Big Things from Nick Bosa This Season

In retrospect, missing all of training camp hurt Bosa's season. Which is why this year he participated in camp almost every day.

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

SANTA CLARA -- Last season was a down year for Nick Bosa by his standards.

And that's because he started slow. Through the first eight games of the 2023 season, Bosa recorded a mere three sacks. This was after he held out of training camp and signed an extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

In retrospect, missing all of training camp hurt Bosa's season. Which is why this year he participated in camp almost every day.

“I feel like it's been a great camp," defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said of Bosa. "I think he knew from the start, even talking to him when I called him in the offseason, I think that was always kind of his plan. And like you said, he's mentioned it in the past missing some time last year and going through it. He felt certain parts of his game, well now it feels like it's sped up and he's been real deliberate in how he's attacked it. It was cool to have him for a bit of the time in the offseason too. I think all that stuff together, I don't think it's ever one thing, but the fact you get better by practicing and playing football and doing football things. And he's done more of it early. So I think, I expect that he'll have a good year and I think he's in really good shape too. He's in a good mindset and state of mind as far as how he's attacking it and his attitude.”

The 49ers will need Bosa to step up more than usual this season because defensive end has become arguably the thinnest position on the team. Which means he might need to play more than 75 percent of the defensive snaps which is his customary work load.