When the San Francisco 49ers have been healthy in recent years, they have been one of the NFL’s very best teams. But while they have made two trips to the Super Bowl and reached the NFC Championship Game four times in the last seven seasons, they have been hit very hard by the injury bug over the last two years.
In 2025, they managed to go 12-5 despite losing a number of players, including star defensive end Nick Bosa and dynamo Mike linebacker Fred Warner, to serious injuries. As the 49ers look to improve their roster this offseason, many agree that their biggest need is another bona fide pass rusher, whether Bosa is ready for Week 1 and quickly returns to form or not.
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports wrote in a recent article that the Niners should go after edge rusher Joey Bosa — Nick Bosa’s older brother — in free agency.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the 49ers were 30th in the NFL in pressure rate this season and need help on the edge, especially with both Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams facing returns from major injuries,” Dubin wrote. “Uniting the Bosa brothers to manage each other’s reps could be a low-cost solution.”
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Williams, who was a rookie this season, showed flashes of promise, but he appeared in just nine games because he tore his ACL, just as Nick Bosa did. It was hoped that defensive end Bryce Huff would help San Francisco’s pass rush, but he posted an anemic four sacks on the season.
Joey Bosa, like Nick Bosa, starred at Ohio State University before coming to the NFL. In 2014, he won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award while helping the Buckeyes win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and after the following season, he was the No. 3 pick in the draft by the then-San Diego Chargers.
He spent the first nine seasons of his pro career with the Chargers before suiting up for the Buffalo Bills this season. He was named the Rookie of the Year in 2016, and he has been named to the Pro Bowl five times.
Of course, the one big knock on Joey Bosa has been his inability to stay healthy. He has appeared in at least 14 games just five times in 10 seasons, but when he has been healthy, he has been an undeniable force. In 2025, he played in 15 games and had five sacks, 16 quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss and a league-high five forced fumbles.
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If the Niners are unable to land Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson, Joey Bosa could be a lower-risk solution up front for their defense. According to spotrac.com, his projected market value is $13.7 million a year, and thus, the 30-year-old could be a nice option for a San Francisco team that is projected to have about $15 million in salary cap space.
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