Two 49ers Who Will Negatively Feel Nick Bosa's Absence the Most

Losing Nick Bosa negatively impacts the entire defense, but there are two 49ers who will feel it the most.

Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Devastating, nightmare, and demoralizing. These are just a few of many words used to describe the San Francisco 49ers losing Nick Bosa for the season to a torn ACL.

The 49ers' defense was off to a fantastic start, and much of that was thanks to Bosa. Now, the 49ers must make due without him and adjust.

However, no matter what they do, there's going to be some degree of regression for the defense. But no one will feel the negative impact of Bosa's absence more than these two 49ers.

Bryce Huff

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) looks to make a pass against San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Arguably, the most exciting addition the 49ers made this offseason outside of Robert Saleh was with pass rusher Bryce Huff. The best year of his career occurred while playing for Saleh in 2023.

The 49ers were aiming for that resurgence, and sure enough, he's been doing a fine job of it. Through three games, Huff has registered two sacks and 11 pressures.

His numbers have been excellent to start the season, but they may slow down now. With Bosa gone, Huff can no longer thrive as a secondary pass rusher.

Offenses will start to swing the focus towards him. The 49ers had been rushing him opposite of Bosa, and it's done wonders. No longer will he get away with playing second fiddle.

That can start to negatively impact him. Rather than making a handful of plays a game, he's looking at potentially being limited to a few.

The 49ers might also increase Huff's usage against the run, which he's only average at. More will be expected of Huff, which can derail how efficient and positively impactful he's been.

Mykel Williams

Sep 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) is pressured by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Mykel Williams (98) during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The same can be said for the surging rookie Mykel Williams. He's been the epitome of violence since the start of the season.

The combination of him, Bosa, and Huff has been a thing of beauty. But with Bosa's season done, Williams might not be able to be as dominant as he was.

He may even struggle to continue on the trajectory that he once was. Williams doesn't have the stats that Huff has tallied so far, but it's been clear as day how impactful Williams is.

That impact could be partially, if not more, credited to Bosa. Williams will start to see an increase in attention that can limit how impactful he is.

The bright side for him is that he rushes the passer from the inside. Lining him up alongside Huff could be the avenue to keeping both pass rushers effective.

But it seems inevitable that both Williams and Huff will experience a dec in impact. Bosa opened up so much for them, and that spearheaded force is done for the year.

---