There are obvious needs for the San Francisco 49ers on the defensive line that will need to be addressed via free agency and the NFL draft this offseason.
However, that’s not the only way they can see an improvement from that group.
Star defensive end Nick Bosa, who was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 after leading the NFL with 18.5 sacks, hasn’t quite been himself the last couple of years.
Bosa tore his ACL in 2020, but bounced back in 2021 with 15.5 sacks before earning the DPOY nod the following year.
The offseason after his DPOY campaign was also the offseason he was due for a contract extension. Negotiations on his deal lingered until the week the regular season started, and there was a clear impact on the star DE as he worked his way back into football shape. Eventually he started looking more like himself, but he had a hard time turning his pressures into sacks.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa actually posted more total pressures in 2023 than he did in 2022, but his number of sacks and quarterback hits both dipped significantly. So did his pass rush win rate, which went from 21.0 in 2022, to 22.3 in 2023, down to 20.0 in 2024.
In all, Bosa has just 19.5 sacks over the last two seasons — a number that will have to improve if the 49ers defense is going to return to peak form.
Injuries certainly played a role in Bosa’s lack of production in 2024 as he missed three games and dealt with hip/oblique injuries through most of the second half of the season. The lack of quality talent around him might’ve also had an impact as offenses were able to focus more on ensuring Bosa’s path to their quarterback was more difficult.
Next season has to be a bounce-back year from Bosa where he starts turning his pass rush wins into sacks the way he did in 2021 and 2022. If he does that, it will be a significant lift for a pass rush that had a difficult time affecting quarterbacks last season.