Published October 24, 2026 02:13 PM
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa pulled a calf muscle in practice on the Thursday before Week 3. Even though the team didn’t place Bosa on injured reserve, he has now missed four games. He’ll miss his fifth on Sunday at Atlanta.
On Friday, coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about remarks from Bosa indicating certainty he’d return for the Week 7 game against the Falcons and optimism he’d be back for Week 6 against the Commanders.
“I just think he was a little too optimistic, especially for Bosa because he’s pretty accurate,” Shanahan told reporters. “He doesn’t say stuff like that unless it’s accurate. I just think it surprised him. He worked out, after he said that to you guys, and the next day he was just a little sore, which surprised all of us. That wasn’t a great sign, especially going to play on turf and stuff this week, so I think it was more he was just a little too optimistic.”
Bosa is just one of a long list of injured 49ers players. Shanahan acknowledged on Friday that the 49ers may not have 48 players healthy enough to dress for the game. Has that ever happened to him before?
“No, I don’t think so,” Shanahan said. “I don’t think here. I don’t think ever in my career, so it’s a unique situation.”
The 2026 season has entailed plenty of unique situations for the 49ers. Through it all, they keep winning. Which makes it Shanahan’s best year of coaching (so far), and which has him as the current favorite to be named the NFL’s coach of the year.