GREEN BAY, Wis. — For most of the week, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was seemingly on the right track to be able to play in Saturday’s NFC divisional-round matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
On Friday, the Niners removed all doubt when they announced that Bosa has officially cleared concussion protocol and no longer has an injury designation heading into the showdown with Green Bay.
Put simply: Bosa will play against the Packers, which is no small thing given his importance to San Francisco’s defense. Bosa led the 49ers in sacks this season with 15.5, adding an NFL-high 21 tackles for loss and 52 tackles.
Bosa’s clearance comes after a week during which multiple Niners players and coaches expressed cautious optimism he’d be ready to go.
“He’s come along well going through the NFL protocol,” defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday. “Definitely need him out there.”
On Friday, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said it was “looking good” for Bosa to clear the final steps of the protocol as he did on Friday.
All of that came after the scary collision Bosa had with defensive tackle D.J. Jones in the second quarter of last week’s 23-17 win against the Dallas Cowboys. Jones accidentally hit Bosa in the head with his knee as the pair converged on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Bosa did not return to that game but was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday and Thursday, which were the first signs that he was trending in the right direction to return. Bosa was also seen participating in the team’s Friday walkthrough at Bay Port High School in Green Bay.
In addition to announcing that Bosa cleared concussion protocol, the 49ers elevated cornerback Darqueze Dennard and linebacker Mark Nzeocha from the practice squad to the active roster on Friday afternoon.