We are only eight days from the Pittsburgh Steelers season opener against the San Francisco 49ers and the clock is ticking for the 49ers to get a deal done with their best player, EDGE Nick Bosa. Bosa is currently holding out for a new deal and according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there is no slam dunk a deal gets done before the 49ers travel to Pittsburgh for Week One.
On ESPN, Fowler said that the hope is that the mega-deal gets done before Week One, but that isn’t a guarantee.
“The 49ers would like to push this through before Week 1 but not a slam dunk,” Fowler said which was posted to Twitter by Sterling Bennett.
Bosa is one of the best defensive players in the NFL and is coming off a season in which he won AP Defense Player of The Year after he tallied a league-high 18.5 sacks, and 51 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles. He is a high-impact player who coming off the edge is a consistent nuisance for NFL offenses.
So far this offseason, Bosa has held out, not showing up at all for training camp or any practices this summer and now Week One looms close. Bosa is likely training and staying in shape while training at home and with personal trainers, but nothing can mimic practices with teammates and preseason game time (if he would even be given any).
Even if Bosa shows up tomorrow or Monday, it would be a stretch for him to see many snaps come Week One with less than a full week of practice. However, any cameo of Bosa in Week One will be impactful as he always seems to put his mark on games when he plays. There is a reason he won Defensive Player of the Year last season and is a three-time Pro Bowler.
For Pittsburgh, if Bosa’s holdout continues into Week One or he isn’t cleared to play come September 10, it is a huge advantage for the young offense. Bosa can line up against either tackle so either RT Chukwuma Okorafor or LT Dan Moore Jr. will be in for one of their toughest tasks of the year if Bosa is a go Week One. However, if he is not that is a huge weight off their shoulders, but the 49ers defensive line is still a great unit with DT Javon Hargrave and company wreaking havoc.
But, if there is no Bosa, or he is on a snap count, it should help QB Kenny Pickett have more time in the pocket to go through his reads and help the running game a bit. Obviously, the 49ers are an uber-talented team, but if they are out their best player it will make life a bit easier for a young Steelers offense.
There is certainly still time to get a deal done and for Bosa to report and play Week One, but time is running out. It will be interesting to follow this week, and if he still hasn’t reported by Wednesday it will make it much harder to envision Bosa suiting up next Sunday.
