The Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp today, Wednesday July 26th, but you can’t stop the rabid fan base from looking ahead to the regular season. As all other NFL teams have already reported to camp in some capacity, news is coming in quick from around the league.

One team on the Steelers’ radar would be their Week 1 opponent, the San Francisco 49ers. With so much uncertainty at the quarterback position, it is important to note how the team will be opening camp when it comes to their signal callers.

Will Trey Lance get a shot to start?

Is Sam Darnold just an insurance policy?

What about Brock Purdy? Will his injured elbow be healthy enough to throw?

According to both head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager (GM) John Lynch, Purdy has been cleared to practice, even though the team is still expecting to take it slow and put him on a pitch count in the early stages of camp.

#49ers GM John Lynch says Brock Purdy (elbow) has been cleared to practice. “The great news is Brock has worked his tail off and he’s ready to go.”

Kyle Shanahan says Purdy will throw two out of every three days initially, and he’ll take the first rep the days he’s out there.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 25, 2023

Barring a setback, it seems as if Purdy will be the man with the shot to go against T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith in front of a raucous Acrisure Stadium crowd. A crowd that hasn’t seen a home opener since Antonio Brown kicked a Cleveland Browns punter in the face on a punt return.

While the quarterback situation is intriguing, there is another aspect of the 49ers this offseason which will be worth keeping an eye on. That would be Nick Bosa wanting a new contract, and potentially holding off from practicing until that deal gets done.

Meanwhile, #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says he doesn’t expect star edge rusher Nick Bosa to practice without a new contract.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 25, 2023

Bosa is following the same path T.J. Watt did just a few years ago when he showed up every day, did every individual drill, but never did anything in team work. Many thought this would be a detriment to the defense, but a deal got done and Watt was his usual self in the Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills on the road.

If there was one aspect of Watt missing almost all team work during training camp and the preseason was his overall conditioning level. He spoke about how you can’t truly duplicate a real in-game experience. While Steelers fans aren’t foolish enough to envision a world where Bosa doesn’t play, if a deal doesn’t get done during camp/preseason, Bosa might be working his way back into game shape in Week 1.

We’ll be keeping tabs on the 49ers as Week 1 gets closer, which will be here before you know it.