The 49ers expect Nick Bosa to play season opener in Australia

Melbourne, Australia (AP) — San Francisco 49ers defensive star Nick Bosa is poised to play in the team's season opener at the Australian Football Federation's AAMI Park football stadium on Friday.

Bosa had been sidelined since tearing his knee ligament in September last year. After undergoing surgery, he began training camp on the active roster but had to miss most of it due to tendinitis and knee soreness.

He returned to practice last week and is now cleared to play the opener against the Los Angeles Rams, according to San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. "He’s going out there," Morris told reporters before the team's practice on Tuesday. "He’ll be there. We’re not hiding that."

The 49ers are banking on a healthy Bosa to lift the pass rush, which finished last in the NFL last season with just 20 sacks. Bosa has been one of the most dominant edge rushers since being drafted second overall in 2019, compiling at least nine sacks in the five seasons he has played without missing significant time due to injury. He has made the Pro Bowl in all five of those seasons and won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022, leading the league with 18.5 sacks.

Bosa's 74.5 career sacks rank fifth in the NFL since entering the league in 2019, while his 280 total pressures are the fourth-most in that span. Tight end George Kittle is also expected to play in his first game since rupturing his right Achilles tendon in the playoffs last January. Kittle, a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, is a key contributor to the 49ers' offense, providing both receiving and blocking capabilities.