San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa will play against the Los Angeles Rams in the teams’ season opener on Thursday (U.S. time) in Melbourne, Australia.
Meeting with the media on Monday (U.S. time) in Melbourne, 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said, “Nick Bosa is going to play. We’re not trying to hide that.”
Bosa, 28, returned to full team practice sessions last Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a season-ending right ACL injury last September.
The injury resulted in his third ACL surgery and the second on his right knee.
A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Bosa has recorded 64.5 sacks, 168 quarterback hits, 278 tackles, two interceptions and 13 forced fumbles in 85 games (83 starts) since the 49ers drafted him No. 2 overall in 2019.
San Francisco tight end George Kittle is also trending toward playing as well.
“We’ve got to see how he gets through the rest of the week — we’ve got two more practices — but Kittle looks good,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said.
Kittle, 32, tore his right Achilles tendon in a Jan. 11, 2026, wild-card playoff win against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 23.
Kittle had 57 receptions for 628 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 regular-season games last year. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection has 595 career catches for 8,008 yards and 52 TDs in 124 games (116 starts) with San Francisco.