Niners Nation
There’s no replacing Nick Bosa’s impact. As the 49ers face up to the reality of losing their star pass rusher for the rest of the 2025 season, they also must accept the fact there is no single one player who can replicate what he does for their defensive front.
Losing Bosa is a hammer blow for the 49ers, one that not only robs them of one of the game’s premier game-wreckers, but also of the opportunity to consistently play him in tandem with Bryce Huff, who has shone in his first three games since arriving in a June trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Their partnership was blossoming, helping the 49ers consistently push the pocket from both edges and cause chaos in opposing backfields. Bosa and Huff recorded a game-winning forced fumble apiece across the first two games, and the drop-off in pressure on Kyler Murray in Week 3 was evident once Bosa left the game with what proved to be a torn ACL.
Filling the void left by Bosa, who also shines as a run defender who can set the edge superbly well and dominate tight ends, will not be a one-man job. There is no silver bullet that will solve the issue his absence creates.
San Francisco will look for Mykel Williams to build on the promising signs he has displayed over the last two weeks. More of a burden will be placed on Huff to operate as a three-down player, while the likes of Yetur Gross-Matos and Sam Okuayinonu will be under pressure to step up. Gross-Matos has thrived as an interior pass rusher this season.
In the immediate future, it seems likely that, once Bosa is placed on injured reserve, the 49ers will elevate a defensive lineman from the practice squad. Trevis Gipson would be the favorite following a strong preseason from the sixth-year defender.
But, in the coming weeks, the 49ers will almost certainly call around the league to see if they can acquire pass-rush help from outside.
With San Francisco keen to hold on to draft capital to build a younger roster, the 49ers won’t be keen to pay the kind of price it would take to land a player of comparative reputation to Bosa. In other words, any talk of trading for Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson is probably fanciful.
Yet there are players who could be available who have the ability to elevate the committee of players it will take to keep the defensive line successful in Bosa’s absence, and the 49ers have already faced one such player who stands as a compelling potential trade target this season.
The 49ers’ offensive line had a bounce-back game in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints after struggling in Week 1 in Seattle, but defensive end Carl Granderson still managed to prove a disruptive force.
Granderson’s two sacks of Mac Jones were clean-up jobs, yet he was a constant thorn in the side of the 49ers’ backup tight ends...
