Nick Bosa's participation in the season opener is in serious doubt as his 49ers holdout continues just days out from San Francisco's season opener with the Steelers.

Negotiations between the Niners and Bosa's representatives over a deal that could make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL have yet to reach a resolution.

But Mike Tomlin is preparing his team as if they are going to face the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The Steelers head coach drawing his own experience of a similar situation to inform his plans.

"Yes we are preparing for Nick Bosa," said Tomlin. "It's prudent for us to prepare like he's going to be there…. We were in a similar situation with T.J. a few years ago at the 11th hour…. He showed up in the stadium and he was T.J. Watt, that's what those guys do."

The situation Tomlin is referring to is the 2021 Steelers season opener, which saw edge rusher Watt record two sacks, including one that forced a fumble recovered by Cameron Heyward, five quarterback hits and a tackle for loss in a win over the Bills just there days after ending his impasse with Pittsburgh and becoming the league's highest-paid defensive player.

Bosa will be looking to repeat Watt's feats both in gaining a market-setting contract for defenders before Week 1 and then producing a game-wrecking display in the opener.

The former second overall pick is renowned for keeping himself in excellent football shape during the offseason, so much of the discussion around his holdout has concerned how many practices he may need to be at his best against the Steelers.

Last year's 18.5-sack season, in which he tied for the league lead with 90 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, illustrates Bosa's status as the type of talent who should be able to put together a dominant performance with little preparation time.

Tomlin is right to take the safety-first approach from a Pittsburgh perspective. Should Bosa indeed end up playing in the game and match Watt's 2021 efforts against his DPOY predecessor's team, then the length of his arduous contract saga will quickly be forgotten.

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