Nick Bosa's preseason is over before it started.
The San Francisco 49ers rookie suffered a "significant" ankle sprain during Wednesday's practice that will keep the edge rusher sidelined until at least the season opener, general manager John Lynch revealed Thursday morning on KNBR, per multiple reports.
"We'll get him right and he'll be a great player for a long time in this league," Lynch said.
Bosa went down Wednesday and later had an MRI to confirm the extent of the injury. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the 49ers could potentially hold Bosa out of preseason action following the injury. Lynch confirmed Bosa indeed suffered the "dreaded high-ankle sprain."
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters later Thursday that the team hopes Bosa will be available for the season opener, but he'll be re-evaluated following the preseason. That timeline mirrors what cornerback Jason Verrett, who also suffered an ankle injury Wednesday, is facing.
In the meantime, the 49ers signed reserve defensive end Jeremiah Valoaga to a one-year contract.
An ankle sprain is the latest setback for the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Bosa had already missed the team's offseason program with a hamstring injury and sat out most of his final season at Ohio State because of a core muscle injury.
"We don't feel he is injury prone," Lynch said. "Yesterday he had a big human being fall on his leg while he was engaged with someone else."
The 49ers are now just hoping Bosa will be available to engage with the Buccaneers when the two teams meet in Week 1 on Sept. 8.
In other Niners injury news, it appears running back Jerick McKinnon has been sidetracked in his return from a torn ACL last season. Shanahan told reporters that McKinnon has been dealing with a sore knee recently and will undergo a platelet rich plasma injection and miss the next two weeks of action.
