While the San Francisco 49ers are set to begin their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend, superstar defensive end Nick Bosa has not reported to the team. Despite this, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is preparing for the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year to be available. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Tomlin stated:
“Yes, we are preparing for Bosa. It’s prudent for us to assume that he is gonna be there and prepare in that vein, as opposed to be surprised. We were in a similar circumstance with a dynamic rusher a couple of years ago in T.J. [Watt] We got a deal done at the 11th hour.”
Tomlin added that T.J. Watt played great despite missing offseason training camp:
“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. We expect him to be there. It’s the prudent approach to take, and if he’s gonna be there, we know the type of player that he intends on being so that’s something to be dealt with.”
Check out Mike Tomlin’s comments on Nick Bosa below:
Mike Tomlin: Steelers prepping as if 49ers will have Nick Bosa #Herewego #49ers #NFL https://t.co/u0f4W4YPuU
— Bluefish Sports (@bluefish_sports) September 5, 2023
Watt signed a four-year, $112 million extension, with $80 million guaranteed, three days before the 2021 season opener. The deal made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Despite missing the entire offseason due to his holdout, Watt played great. He finished with three tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, five quarterback hits, and one forced fumble. He went on to tie the NFL single-season sacks record with 22.5 sacks en route to being named the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year.
The San Francisco 49ers preparing as if Nick Bosa won’t be active in Week 1
Nick Bosa’s holdout has lasted much longer than most anticipated, as the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year is not with the team as the season opener approaches. While Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may be preparing for the star defensive end to be available for their Week 1 matchup, the San Francisco 49ers are taking a different approach.
Speaking with Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, 2022 first-team All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga stated:
“For us, we just got to play with who we got. We would love to have Bosa, obviously. I think that’s a no-brainer. Best defensive player in NFL, and it shows. For us, we’ve just got to prepare as if he’s not going to be here. Obviously, that’s an upper-echelon question; that’s a front-office question. And so, for me, I don’t know if I can answer anything else on that, but once he’s here, we’d love to have him.”
Check out Talanoa Hufanga’s comments on Nick Bosa below:
It is unclear if the 49ers will be able to reach a last-minute deal with their superstar pass rusher. While there has been speculation that he could be moved, San Francisco remains adamant that Bosa is not available.
