One of the biggest headlines surrounding Pittsburgh’s Week One matchup against the San Francisco 49ers is the status of DE Nick Bosa and his current holdout. Bosa hasn’t been with the 49ers for all of training camp and has missed all the preseason as he waits for a lucrative contract extension.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that it’s not a “slam dunk” that the 49ers will get a deal done with Bosa prior to the team flying out to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. However, the Steelers are preparing as if they are going to see Bosa on the other sideline, at least that’s what OT Dan Moore Jr. said Monday as the team begins its preparations for Sunday’s matchup.
“We’re expecting him to be in the stadium,” Moore said, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Moore knows a deal between San Francisco and Bosa is going to get done before Sunday. Rather, it’s always best to expect an opposing team to be coming in at full strength rather than missing one of its best pieces. That way, you plan for all the challenges that player brings to your game plan and have that firmly established rather than banking on him not suiting up, only to be surprised and unprepared if he does indeed play.
The Steelers know what it’s like to be without their best pass rusher. They lost OLB T.J. Watt for seven games last season with a pec injury, causing their pass rush and overall defensive performance to drop without him in the lineup. Bosa’s impact on this game is huge for several reasons. Pittsburgh will likely have to game plan around him, devising its scheme to have additional help to his side on passing downs as well as avoid running to his side. Bosa was the Defensive Player of the Year last season as he racked up a league-high 18.5 sacks, 51 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles.
Moore would likely see a fair amount of Bosa should he play, as Bosa flips sides quite often on the edge. He played 745 total defensive snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus, with 441 coming at left defensive end and 265 coming at right defensive end. Should Bosa not play, both Moore and RT Chukwuma Okorafor would benefit greatly not having to face one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Still, the Steelers are preparing like he is going to be out there, as they should be until the the 49ers’ plane departs for Pittsburgh without Bosa.
