"I think there's a point that everybody, as long as I played in Year 13, people used to ask, do you need training camp? I needed three weeks. I needed that to get ready."

That was John Lynch's response at the end of last month when asked if he was worried about the potential impact of Nick Bosa not being at practice on the star edge rusher's preparations for the new season.

Well Thursday marked three weeks until the start of the regular season and, on Sunday, the 49ers' first game of the season will be three weeks away. As the new campaign draws ever closer, Bosa is still holding out with no sign of a resolution in talks over his contract extension with the Niners.

Lynch was of course not setting any deadline with his comments about him needing three weeks to prepare but, with Bosa now running out of practice time ahead of the regular season, it's fair to wonder whether the 49ers may finally be growing concerned about the continued impasse in negotiations. 

There's unlikely to be any doubt the Niners will get a deal done with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

But could there finally be some unease about Bosa's readiness for the new season?

With the 49ers facing a tricky start to the season on the road in Pittsburgh in what could well be a defensive struggle with the Steelers and then facing a contest with the division rival Rams and a primetime game with a potential playoff contender in the Giants, San Francisco can ill-afford to not have Bosa at his best right off the bat.

The Niners of course have other pass-rushing forces on the starting defensive line, namely on the interior in Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave.

Yet outside of Bosa they do not have an edge rusher on whom they can be sure of getting production from the jump. Bosa is renowned for staying in excellent shape, but the 49ers are running out of time to get him signed to a new deal on a date that will allow him to get enough practices under his belt so San Francisco be sure he will be up to speed.

Deadlines force action, and the 49ers may need to imminently take some urgent action to get Bosa signed and avoid the risk of having him start the season at anything other than his best.

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