Brock Purdy is already seeing something in De’Zhaun Stribling that usually takes longer to show up from a rookie receiver: the details.
The 49ers quarterback said the second-round pick out of Ole Miss has stood out this offseason with the way he handles route running, spacing and the finer points of San Francisco’s offense. Purdy said Stribling is picking things up fast in a system that asks a lot from young pass catchers.
“The way he runs routes, the detail of it - obviously, we’re coaching him up on some stuff and whatnot,” Purdy said, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “But more than anything, he’s come in and understands the route depth, the details, the alignments in our offense.
And all those things are really tough for rookies. It’s not easy.
It’s a whole other language.”
Purdy also pointed to Stribling’s footwork and burst off the line, while stressing that receiver play is about more than just getting off cleanly.
“ He’s done a good job with the footwork and getting off the line and stuff,” Purdy said. “But the other half of football is up top - using your hands as a receiver and trying to create separation, obviously legally. But that’s a part of (being a receiver) - using your strength against a DB and stuff.”
For now, Purdy says Stribling is earning trust inside the building, even if the evaluation is still just getting started.
“He’s proving to all of us that he’s reliable and we can trust him. But it is Day 2 of camp, and we’ve got to continue to find out (more). But I’ve got a lot of trust in him now.”
In Arizona, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur is already talking about third-overall running back Jeremiyah Love like a player who can help shape what comes next. LaFleur praised Love’s maturity, his fit in the locker room and the way he carries himself as a rookie.
“Jeremiyah, what a mature young man,” LaFleur said, via Pro Football Talk. “He’s been awesome with the locker room. He is himself, but he also has some awareness that he’s a rookie, in terms of, ‘I’m gonna be a rookie in there and I’m gonna lean on these guys that have done it in the league.’”
LaFleur also said the impression started before he ever met Love in person, pointing to the player’s background and the way his family came across publicly.
“When I got a chance to meet his parents, and even before I met the parents, just seeing it Saturdays watching College GameDay and the tidbits they had, you kind of knew right there, what a foundation this guy - how lucky to have the situation he had growing up. Great for him to be able to absorb that, soak that in and then be his own man,” LaFleur added.
On the Rams’ side, outside linebacker Byron Young is heading into camp while managing a knee issue that has lingered through the offseason. Young said the team has mapped out a plan and that he’s trying to handle the situation carefully.
“It’s been good, ” Young said, via RamsWire. “I’ve just been nursing up my knee.
That was a process. They’ve got a good plan for me in place.”
Young said the approach is simple: keep working, but don’t push too hard too soon.
“Just day by day,” Young said. “I practiced yesterday.
I don’t want to do too much and overload our workload. We’ve got a plan to just take some time and get back out there in a couple of days.
Day by day, we’re trying to last for 17 games and the postseason.”
He added that the issue has been around for a while.
“Yes, it’s the same knee,” Young said. “It was challenging but at the same time I trust the training staff with everything.
It was something I’ve been dealing with for years now. They always came through for me and I trust them.”
In Seattle, the contract situation with cornerback Devon Witherspoon is still unresolved as training camp opens, but head coach Mike Macdonald sounded calm about where things stand.
“I couldn’t have any more confidence in our process and all the people involved in the whole operation. So I think that’s the best way to describe it-really confident right now in where we are and ’Spoon and all his people and the way we do business,” Macdonald said, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
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Mike LaFleur Sent A Clear Message As Cardinals Camp Got Physical
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For a roster still trying to sort out roles and build rhythm, the next few practices will matter as much for discipline as for toughness. Arizona is set to be back on the field Wednesday at 4:00 PM, and the way the team handles this more physical phase should say plenty about how quickly it can settle into LaFleurs standard. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Camp Suddenly Has A Few Early Clues Fans Needed
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The early camp pecking order is starting to come into focus around that setup, too. Jacoby Brissett has moved into the lead quarterback spot, James Conner is handling most of the first-team work, and there are encouraging signs elsewhere with Paris Johnson and Walter Nolen both back in the mix. Even with those clues, the bigger question for Arizona is how quickly the new teaching tool and the roster decisions around it will translate into something cleaner once the pads stay on for good. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Rebuilt Line Already Has Fans Worried About One Lingering Issue
The Cardinals spent the offseason reshaping the front of their offense, adding Isaac Seumalo, Elijah Wilkinson, Matt Pryor and Oli Udoh in free agency before using the draft on Chase Bisontis and Jayden Williams. It was a clear sign that the team knows how much the offensive line matters to Mike LaFleurs new offense, and on paper the group looks far different from the one Arizona rolled out a year ago.
Early camp, though, has already put a spotlight on the right tackle spot, where the competition is still sorting itself out. Wilkinson is the projected starter, but the first weeks have not done much to quiet the concern around that position, and the Cardinals will need a steadier answer there if they want the rest of the rebuilt line to hold up the way they envision. [Read more 🡒]