Nick Bosa says the calf injury that had him worried might be turning into a shorter stay than he first feared.
The 49ers star defensive end is eyeing a Week 6 return against the Commanders, and he sounded increasingly optimistic about getting back on the field soon.
“But the fact that I’m already feeling like I could go out on Monday night and definitely not wait,” Bosa said. “Definitely Atlanta, possibly next week. Probably.”
Bosa said the injury initially had him thinking it could be a much longer process.
“I’ve never had a calf, so I didn’t really know,” he said. “They told me they’re pretty finicky sometimes, calves.
But, actually, I checked with my brother (Joey), who had one last year in OTAs. He said three weeks, and he never even noticed it (after that).”
The early signs have been encouraging. Bosa said he has been going through two-a-day running sessions and doing his normal lifts in the weight room, and he believes he has crossed an important line in his recovery over the last few days.
“I’m feeling better and better,” he said.”
The 49ers may also have another notable piece back in the mix soon. Mykel Williams is listed as questionable, but coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Friday that he will be back for the 49ers.
On the practice-squad side, Sebastian Valdez has been drawing attention for the kind of work that doesn’t usually make the stat sheet. As a rookie, he spent time in the shadows while helping the starters prepare, and some of the offensive linemen noticed.
“(Sebastian) Valdez is No. 1 for me; he has been for the last two years,” Puni, the San Francisco 49ers right guard, said recently. “He just does a great job at giving the right look. And he matches the right intensity that you should have for practice.”
Added left guard Connor Colby: “You know his effort is always going to be there. Especially the padded practice (on Thursday) - it helps out a lot. It gives you an opportunity to work on things you need to correct.”
Until two weeks ago, Valdez’s role was essentially that of the team’s scout-team stand-in. Working as a defensive tackle on the practice squad, he lined up in the three-technique and copied what the next opponent would try to do against the run and the pass. In other words, he was the body the 49ers’ offensive linemen faced all week so they’d be ready on Sunday.
That Week 5 matchup with Seattle comes with plenty for San Francisco to sort through. One breakdown pointed to the need for Brock Purdy to take more of the aggressive throws he has sometimes passed up this season, especially toward the boundary.
Against the Seahawks, Purdy is expected to need some of the riskier shots he has avoided at times. Seattle’s secondary can be attacked outside the numbers, and the windows tend to be tighter in the middle.
The Seahawks also lean heavily on Cover-6 and Cover-8 looks, and they can be vulnerable to vertical stretch concepts to the boundary. The catch: those throws take time, and Seattle usually doesn’t give much of it.
The ground game may have to work through a specific lane as well. Seattle is strong against under-center runs, but can be vulnerable to counter because it moves the ball away from where the Seahawks typically attack. Pressure, meanwhile, needs to come from the Seahawks’ center-right guard pairing, and the case for getting after Sam Darnold is simple: when he’s sped up, he’s been abysmal.
There are also individual matchups that could swing the night. One matchup to watch involves Seattle safety Nick Emmanwori, described as one of the best linear athletes in the NFL.
The advice for San Francisco was straightforward: make him change direction, force him into conflict, and don’t let him run in a straight line. The recommendation was to put him in trouble with high-low concepts or isolate him on George Kittle or Christian McCaffrey by giving those players two-way go’s.
Even with all the plays he can make, Emmanwori is not someone the 49ers should avoid.
Up front, there’s confidence in San Francisco’s own interior help. The 49ers were urged to trust Puni against Williams, who has produced the eighth-most quick pressures in the league. Puni has been excellent all season, and last week was the first time he had a blown block in pass protection.
Connor Colby drew his own spotlight after three blown blocks in pass protection against Zach Allen in Week 4, and the challenge doesn’t get softer from there. Murphy is the next test, and the suggestion was for Colby to be aggressive, use jump sets, and lean on his quickness and strength before Murphy can get into his move. That approach could matter in how the 49ers choose to attack.
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