The San Francisco 49ers are finishing up practices for the week and we have an idea of who will be there and who won’t be. Jason Verrett, who was out in Week 1, is a sure thing, while Tevin Coleman continues to rehab his ankle injury.
Then there’s Nick Bosa. He played in the opener, got a bit sore, and hasn’t been practicing most of this week. He managed to get one practice in and is listed as questionable on the injury report but the fact remains, the ankle is bothersome.
He had a hell of a debut to the NFL; getting one sack, three quarterback hits, and being a wall on defense all day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bosa hit a high ankle sprain to start training camp and while he managed Week 1, those high ankle sprains can take forever before you’re 100 percent—and you don’t want to make it worse. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said that he wants to see Bosa practice so at least that box is checked.
Keep in mind, part of the reason the 49ers were cautious with Bosa was because of the turf the 49ers practiced on. The team is in Youngstown, Ohio, trying to reduce the tear that going back and forth from east to west coast can provide. That has a hand in it, but the fact remains, Bosa did not practice.
The Bengals also play on turf which is going to be none too kind to an ankle injury. Given the Bengals injuries, and Bosa’s ankle sprain, is it worth it to put him on the turf Sunday? Or would you shut him down for Week 2 so he’s healthy against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the home opener? The one question (and doctors obviously know more than I do) is can this turf add an extra probability that he can suffer something more devastating? Is it worth it?
If you were Kyle Shanahan, would you shelf Bosa for a week?