49ers DE Nick Bosa takes significant step toward return to playing

There was a rare bit of good injury news for San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa on Sunday.

Bosa didn't start training camp on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in Week 3 last season. The 49ers instead opted to ease him into action. Despite not participating in team drills throughout training camp, Bosa wound up dealing with tendinitis in the knee he suffered the ACL tear in. That ailment was originally labeled as "soreness" by the 49ers and Bosa was a no-show at practice in any capacity for the better part of two weeks.

A player missing practice typically means they're on a side field working out or watching the session on the sidelines. Bosa has been entirely absent while dealing with his knee injury. That changed Sunday according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, who pointed out in his practice recap that Bosa was working out while reporters and fans were in attendance.

Perhaps most notable here: We had our first side field Bosa sighting since he began experiencing tendinitis and soreness early in camp. He did an extensive workout on the side field. A (public) step in the right direction for him.

It's not an indicator that Bosa is nearing a return, but having him work out on a side field where reporters and fans would be able to see him is a sign that the 49ers' star defensive end is at least trending in the right direction.

Getting Bosa back for training camp has never been the goal for the 49ers. Their goal is ensuring he can be on the field healthy in Week 1 when they visit the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. With a little under a month to go until that opener, an on-field workout is a pretty significant step toward accomplishing that goal.

More 49ers: List of 49ers players missing practice or exiting early balloons to 21

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers DE Nick Bosa takes significant step toward return to playing