2 years agoSan Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa led the NFL in sacks and won Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, leading to him to an IDP5 finish and DL2. Bosa set career highs in total pressures, QB hits, and sacks even as his number of pass rushes and total snaps declined slightly from 2022. Opposing teams attempted 593 passes against the 49ers, the eight-highest total, because the 49ers' opponents were often trailing, and the 49ers had the best-rushing defense in the league. That's 48 more passes than the 49ers' defense faced in 2021. San Francisco put Bosa on the reserve/did not report list at the start of training camp. Bosa continues to hold out until he and the team agree on a new contract. The 49ers lost defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans this offseason and replaced him with former Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks. Wilks has previously been the defensive coordinator for the 2017 Panthers, who ranked No. 7 in total defense, and the defensive coordinator for the 2019 Browns, who ranked No. 22. Ryans will be tough to replace. Wilks singled out the 49ers defensive line for praise, saying, "When you look at how dominant we've been over the years, it is because of our defensive line, and we've done a great job building that through the draft." It will be difficult for Bosa to build on the year he just had. He can do it either by increasing his pressures, increasing his sack rate, making more tackles on running plays, or making more impact plays. But he already led the league in pressures, with 90, in 2022. That's more pressures than all but one player made in 2021. Bosa will most likely have a similar season to his 2023 season, but it is unlikely that he will be able to improve.--Mitchell Blatt - RotoBaller