SANTA CLARA — The 49ers eased up on defensive end Nick Bosa this week, hoping to reverse the effects of a hip injury that worsened when he played through a Week 10 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

If all goes according to plan, Bosa will have his usual tough task when the 49ers (5-4) host the Seattle Seahawks (3-5) on Sunday, fitting for the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, with an average salary of 34 of millions of dollars.

Bosa, along with two other star players, left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) are all listed as questionable to play and the reality is that each could need to be nursed until to a distant finish line of the regular season with nearly half the schedule left to play.

In other words, business as usual in the NFL. Teams weigh their players’ health on a weekly basis, knowing that it’s a decline and that no one is physically the same as when the season started.

The dilemma with Bosa is that, as a defensive end, he plays one of the thinnest positions on the roster. The 49ers welcome back Yetur Gross-Matos this week. A free agent in the offseason, Gross-Matos injured his knee late in training camp, sat the opener and played 81 snaps in Weeks 2 through 4 before the knee worsened and he went on injured reserve.

The hope of a consistent presence in front of Bosa did not materialize. Seattle offers an opportunity to gain some traction with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and starting center Connor Williams abruptly retiring this week at age 27.

Gross-Matos, 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, can play as a set-the-rim or inside tackle. The 49ers can use all the help they can get at tight end, where Leonard Floyd starts alongside Bosa with Sam Okuayinonu and Robert Beal Jr. in reserve. Beal, who the 49ers hoped would provide a rushing presence, has no sacks and is getting precious little playing time.

With Floyd providing three sacks so far and Okuayinonu providing three more, the 49ers have 22 sacks, tied for 17th in the NFL.

That makes it difficult for him to get Bosa off the court to get more burst. Shanahan hopes the relief in practice will get Bosa back on track in terms of his health.

“It was a really easy week. I think he acted out during the game more than he thought and it really bothered him,” Shanahan said Friday. “Hopefully, with rest, he’ll feel better this week.”

Bosa’s 5 1/2 sack total is in the middle of the road. At his current pace, he’ll get somewhere close to the 10 1/2 he had last year in the first year of his $170 million, five-year deal. In 2021 and 2022, Bosa had 34 sacks in 33 regular season games, and in 2022 he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 18 1/2 sacks.

That doesn’t mean the 49ers would want their money back even if it were possible. According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa won enough at the line of scrimmage for a 90.4 grade, trailing TJ Watt (93.5), Khalil Mack (91.6) and Myles Garrett (91.3) among the top players.

It was evident early against Tampa Bay that Bosa was less than 100 percent. He did little damage against Tristin Wirfs, one of the best tackles in the NFL. Wirfs left in the first half with a sprained knee, theoretically opening the door to quarterback Baker Mayfield.

But the battle continued against Justin Skule, a former sixth-round pick by the 49ers out of Vanderbilt in 2019 who failed to make the roster in the 2022 final cut.

“It’s probably the worst thing I’ve had to play through,” Bosa said.

To his credit, despite playing in 90-plus degree heat, Bosa played in 52 of 61 snaps (85 percent), which is about the same rate he’s played this season in nine games (478 snaps, 86 percent). And he was better at the end against Tampa Bay than he was at the beginning.

On third-and-13 from the Tampa Bay 27, Bosa sacked Baker Mayfield for a 10-yard loss with 5:47 to play, had a near-sack on a miracle throw on Mayfield’s run and made two big plays in the game. running play that set up the Bucs’ 26-yard field goal to tie the game.

“He battled hard the whole game and I thought he was really impressive the last two drives,” Shanahan said.

Taking Bosa out on defense is akin to resting Christian McCaffrey on offense – no coach ever feels comfortable taking one of their best players off the field.

“We’re trying, but we want to win the game,” defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said. “I think it’s something Bosa is willing to do.”

Bosa prided himself on getting through the game and finished with a flourish.

“I’ve definitely dealt with some adversity, but you just have to not feel bad for yourself,” Bosa said. “If you’re not good enough to go, then don’t go. But I felt I was good enough to give my team a better opportunity. I’m kind of proud of that.”

General manager John Lynch watched Bosa closely, and the 49ers tried to keep Bosa from wearing out in practice while letting him go during games.

“I saw it hurt him,” Lynch told KNBR-680. “I think he learned that he worked in training last week when it was probably better to rest a little bit. Nick plays so hard that I think sometimes just a little bit off his feet is a good thing for him and for us.”

When it comes to edge rushers, how much is too much? Bosa is playing the highest percentage of snaps of his career through nine games. The only top players coming off the field less are the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby (95 percent through eight games) and Pittsburgh’s Watt (91 percent).

Garrett, who succeeded Bosa last season as the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, is playing 74 percent of the snaps. Trey Hendrickson, who leads the NFL with 11 sacks, plays 67 percent of the time. Before he went out for the season with a knee injury, Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson was 81 percent through five games.

After Seattle, the 49ers have tough road assignments at Green Bay and Buffalo. Since other than the early games against the Jets and New England Patriots, most have been down to the wire, so there wasn’t much of a chance to knock Bosa off his feet.