As the Week One season opener between the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium draws near, it’s looking like the 49ers will be without star pass rusher Nick Bosa, who continues to hold out in a contract dispute.
That will be a big blow to San Francisco’s defense and will be a big break for the Steelers, especially for left tackle Dan Moore Jr.
At least, that’s the way it appears on paper.
NFL analyst Greg Cosell isn’t so sure about that. On the latest episode of the X’s and O’s podcast with Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, Cosell said the 49ers have really good players at all three levels and will still be able to generate pressure without Bosa due to their scheme.
“They’re a fascinating defense. They play a lot of loaded fronts. …they end up putting Fred Warner as a stand-up 3-technique opposite the load, making it a 5-man front. And they’re a big stunt team on third down with multiple stunt concepts. Obviously it appears with Bosa, we’ve still got time for him … but they have really good players at all three levels,” Cosell told Farrar, according to video via SMG Central YouTube page.
A loaded front consists of three or more players to one side of the center, which the 49ers did quite a bit last season under former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who is now the head coach of the Houston Texans. Often, that loaded front included Bosa, Arik Armstead and one of Hassan Ridgeway, Kevin Givens or Javon Kinlaw on that side of the center.
Opposite the load front, Warner would stand up as the 3-tech over the guard with another defensive end outside of him, creating that 5-man front. From there, San Francisco ran a lot of stunts and twists, which generated a ton of pressure and helped Bosa dominate his way to the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award.
With Bosa on the field, the 49ers had a -15 EPA per play. That’s an elite number. Without Bosa, the 49ers were at -8 EPA, per Farrar in the podcast. That’s still a good number, so there’s not a ton of drop-off overall.
For Cosell, that’s due to players like Warner, safeties Talanoa Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson, and cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Charvarius Ward in the secondary.
“Fred Warner, to me hands down, is the best linebacker in the league,” Cosell said of the All-Pro defensive leader for San Francisco. “I mean, the way he is used and deployed — he’s a pass rusher, an underneath coverage defender, he can run the seam. He looks like a wide receiver running, and he’s so smart. He understands route concepts based on splits.”
At first glance, the 49ers without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year feels like a significant break for the Steelers. Make no mistake about it: it is. But it’s not as if the 49ers defense is going to fold without its elite pass rusher.
There’s far too much talent at all three levels defensively for San Francisco that they’ll be able to get by on Sunday without Bosa. Names like Clelin Ferrell, Kerry Hyder Jr. and Drake Jackson will have to step up as pass rushers, while interior guys in Armstead, Kinlaw and Givens will have to generate more of a pass rush than they have previously.
Of course, it helps having a talent like Javon Hargrave added to the defensive front thanks to a massive contract in free agency. Hargrave is a game wrecker on the inside. The Steelers should be able to pay more attention to him in pass protection without Bosa, which should help some, but the 49ers defense is deep and has elite talent all over the place.
It won’t be a cakewalk without Bosa.
