Kyle Shanahan: 49ers' Nick Bosa has chance to return vs. Commanders
Shanahan said Monday that DE Nick Bosa, FB Kyle Juszczyk and DL James Thompson Jr. "all got a chance" to be ready for next Monday night's game against Washington, but cautioned each will need to be evaluated throughout the week
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The 49ers could see a wave of defensive reinforcements ahead of next Monday night's game against Washington, with head coach Kyle Shanahan providing an optimistic — if measured — update on three injured players who have been sidelined recently.
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): 49ers DE Nick Bosa might be able to return next Monday night vs. Washington. "We know he's got a chance," Kyle Shanahan said today. "I think him, [FB] Kyle Juszczyk and [DL] James Thompson [Jr.] are all kind of in the same boat. They've all got a chance, but definitely not saying they're good to go right now. We've got to continue to evaluate them throughout the week and it'll take all week, but hopefully they can get there."
Shanahan named star defensive end Nick Bosa, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. as the trio with a shot to return. All three have missed time with injuries that go back multiple weeks, and the 49ers have been managing a depleted roster through a stretch that includes Sunday's win and last week's Greenlaw suspension fallout.
The update comes on the same day the 49ers ruled Deebo Samuel out at least two weeks with a hamstring pull and placed Ricky Pearsall on season-ending IR with a torn PCL. Outside linebacker Dre Greenlaw also received a one-game suspension for headbutting Seahawks LB Ernest Jones, though he is appealing. Shanahan's level of optimism — "we know he's got a chance" — suggests Bosa, the 49ers' most disruptive pass-rusher, is trending in the right direction after whatever sidelined him in recent weeks.
The team faces a short preparation window for a Monday night game against a Washington team that has won three of its last four. Getting even one of the three back — particularly Bosa, whose pass-rush win rate leads the defense — would reshape how Washington approaches its game plan.