While the San Francisco 49ers aren’t sure if they’ll have Nick Bosa ready for their opening week matchup on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are preparing for Bosa to play.
“It’s prudent for us to assume that he’s going to be there and prepare in that vein as opposed to be surprised. We were in a similar circumstance with a dynamic rusher a few years ago in T.J. We got a deal done at the 11th hour, he showed up in the stadium and he was T.J. Watt that day. That’s what those guys do, they show up and they are who they are, and so we expect him to be there,” Tomlin said in his press conference today, via the team’s YouTube channel. “We know the type of player he intends on being, and so that’s something to be dealt with.”
Bosa’s in a contract dispute with the 49ers, as he’s looking for a new contract as he enters the last year of his deal. The Steelers and Watt agreed to a deal leading up to Week One ahead of the 2021 season, and in an upset win over the Buffalo Bills, Watt had five quarterback hits, two sacks and a forced fumble en route to winning the Defensive Player of the Year away. Bosa is coming off a DPOY win, and he’s a similar type of game-wrecker on the defensive side of the ball. If he plays, he’s going to make an impact, and the Steelers need to prepare for Bosa to be on the field on Sunday.
The 49ers defense is talented with or without Bosa, and it’s going to be a test for Pittsburgh either way. But Bosa’s presence elevates the unit to another level, and coming off an 18.5 sack season for the league’s best defense in 2022, he’s someone the Steelers really have to gameplan against. He’s the rare defensive player, like Watt who can really have a major impact wins and losses, with San Francisco 5-10 without him on the field.
A dynamic pass rusher, the Steelers are going to have to be ready for Bosa. Coupled with guys like DL Arik Armstead, LB Fred Warner and S Talanoa Hufanga, San Francisco’s defense is one of the few in the league that can match the star power and talent that Pittsburgh’s has, and with a young Steelers offense looking to emerge, they have to prepare accordingly.
Bosa may not play, and that would be a boost for Pittsburgh. But failing to prepare is preparing to fail, so the Steelers need to assume up until the very first snap of the game that Bosa will be on the field, and it’s a good thing that they are.
