MELBOURNE, Australia — Nick Bosa will make his 2026 NFL season debut on Friday morning — Thursday night in America — during the 49ers’ Week 1 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
On Tuesday in Australia, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris spoke to local media and confirmed the All-Pro will be suited up.
“Nick Bosa, he’s going out there,” Morris said. “Whatever you want to say, he’s going. He will be there. We’re not hiding that.”
After not practicing in the team’s Monday session, Bosa returned to the field for their lengthier padded practice on Tuesday. The defensive end has been making his return from an ACL injury sustained in Week 3 of the 2025 season.
“Nick’s a pro in everything he does, the ultimate pro,” Morris said. “I definitely anticipate that because of who he is, and what he’s done, and how he’s gone about his process to get ready for this.
“You watch this guy do it over a span, a long time in his career, been able do it at different levels. Bosa knows his body as well as anybody. He will be prepared and ready to go as well as anybody. Very high confidence level in where he is going to be.”
The 49ers also could see the return of George Kittle on Friday, according to offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak. The All-Pro tight end has been practicing quite a bit since he was cleared to take part in on-field drills a few weeks ago.
“He’s looked good,” Kubiak said. “Super impressed with how he has looked considering the injury he had, and how quickly he got back on the field and committed to his rehab. It’s been pretty cool to see Kittle out there looking like himself to me.
“Looking fresh, and how that affects him on game day, and how much his workload is to be determined, but he looked good to me, he’s practicing full speed, he’s getting a ton of reps, so I feel like he’s in good shape.”
Then when asked directly if Kittle would be on the field to start the season opener, Kubiak backed down slightly, adding that the next two practices would influence any decision about the Iowa product’s participation.
“We will see how he gets through the rest of the week,” Kubiak said. “We have two more practices, but Kittle looks good.”
