Category: NFL News

Fred Warner believes Brock Purdy soon will be NFL’s ‘best’ QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has witnessed Brock Purdy help lead the 49ers on a pair of deep playoff runs in his first two NFL seasons, but the superstar defender believes the young quarterback is going to be even better moving forward.

During an interview on “Up & Adams” Friday, Warner was asked about the hype surrounding Purdy’s training-camp interceptions. Not only did Warner quickly disregard any notion of practice interceptions holding any significance, the star linebacker also shared immense praise for Purdy while offering a bold prediction about the quarterback’s NFL future.

“From Day 1, I’ve been a Brock Purdy fan and I always will be,” Warner told Adams. “I think he’s one of the best in the league, and soon I think he will be the best — undisputed. People want to make something out of practice interceptions and all that other stuff … listen, you’ve obviously never been in the NFL if you’re writing stories about interceptions in practice. Like Deebo [Samuel] mentioned, he’s going against one of the best defenses in the league. So, we’re not worried about that.”

Since bursting on the scene in 2022, Purdy has won over 80 percent of his regular-season starts, guiding the 49ers to the brink of a championship in each of his first two seasons in the league.

Purdy finished fourth in 2023 NFL MVP voting, leading the league in passer-rating (113.0), yards per attempt (9.6) and QBR (72.8) while piloting San Francisco to the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.

Purdy immediately endeared himself to his 49ers teammates and coaches with his relentless work ethic and attention to detail, which has translated on the field to the tune of a 21-6 record, including the playoffs, since taking the reins as San Francisco’s starting quarterback.

Warner has been named First Team All-Pro three times, and widely is viewed as the NFL’s gold standard at the linebacker position for his…

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Myles Garrett is coming off a season which he won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, a culmination of being one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL for several seasons. Garrett reached the peak of individual defensive performance, but is far from satisfied with winning the honor.

Garrett wants more. How can he get better than the level he was at last year? 

“The focus is finding a way to improve,” Garrett said to CBS Sports reporter Evan Washburn. “Whether that’s mentally, being a leader, being more vocal, leading by example. And then physically, how can I stay at the peak of my powers? I can work on some of the things I’m really good at, but also some of my weaknesses as well.” 

Garrett finished with 42 tackles, 30 quarterback hits, 14.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three passes defended in 16 games last season in earning Defensive Player of the Year honors. He also had 86 pressures, 57 hurries, and a pressure rate of 18.6%. Garrett has 88.5 sacks in 100 career games, the third-most in a player’s first 100 games since 1982 (trailing only Reggie White and T.J. Watt). 

The only player with 14+ sacks in each of the last three seasons, Garrett is also the only player with double-digit sacks in each of the last six seasons. He’s tied with Von Miller for the most games with at least one sack and is one of just four players with 12+ sacks in at least four of his first seven career seasons, joining White (six), T.J. Watt (five) and DeMarcus Ware (four). His 0.89 sacks per game is second only to Watt (0.93) in NFL history. 

Cleveland led the NFL in five defensive categories last season, which Garrett was the leader of the dominant unit. The Browns allowed 270.2 yards per game on the year (fewest since the 2014 Seattle Seahawks) and the 49% three-and-out rate was the best since the 2005 Tennessee Titans. Cleveland also led the league in yards per possession (20.7) and…

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Richard Sherman flabbergasted by Jaylon Johnson’s breakdown of his Vikings’ interception originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson recently hopped on former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman’s podcast, “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”

During the podcast, Sherman referenced Johnson’s interception against the Vikings during Week 12 of the 2023 regular season. When Johnson broke down the play for Sherman, the latter couldn’t contain his reaction to the level of difficulty of Johnson’s play.

Here’s how Johnson broke down his thinking behind the play.

“I’ve seen the formation, so in my head, I’m like ‘I know I’m to the field and he [the quarterback] sees me off,” Johnson said. “He’s probably gonna try to bang this five-yard in. But I already knew it was a five-yard in with a seven (yard out) behind it. So I’m kinda seeing it and in my head, I’m like ‘Nah, I’m gonna make a play.’ I don’t like just catching that little pass and tackling it.

“I’m like ‘If he throws this short route, I’m gonna drive it.’ So sure enough, he caught it, boom, he looked and I took off. I saw him pump (fake) so I’m like ‘Damn, I gotta get out of there and help and get back.’ I stuck my foot in the ground got under and he threw it up. I’m like ‘Oh, I got him!’ And I took him. Everybody (was) like seeing it and was like ‘Oh yeah, Cover 2’s great, high-low.’

“I’m like, ‘Nah, I was being greedy.’ I was tryna make a play.”

Sherman’s reaction during Johnson’s recollection says it all.

“You did that out of palms?!”

Palms, in essence, is a variation of Cover 2 defense that asks the cornerback to play man-to-man coverage starting with zone defense. If a wide receiver enters his zone, the cornerback must attach himself to the receiver and play man-to-man.

In this scenario, Johnson is clouding the outside receiver, who enters his zone and runs an inside route. Johnson is supposed to follow the route as his designated assignment, but decided to bail, knowing quarterback Joshua Dobbs…

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After four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Matt Judon held-in at the New England Patriots training camp while in search of a new contract, the team has decided to move on from him, trading him to the Atlanta Falcons, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones.

The Falcons are acquiring Judon in exchange for a third-round pick, according to ESPN. The 32-year-old’s 28.0 sacks from 2021 through 2022 rank as tied for the third-most in the NFL with Steelers All-Pro T.J. Watt, trailing only 49ers All-Pro Nick Bosa (34.0) and Browns 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett (32.0) in that span. Judon suffered a torn lower bicep in Week 4 of the 2023 season that knocked him out for the rest of the year. Judon’s 2022 sack total (15.5) and 2021 sack total (12.5) stand as the third and fourth-most in a single season in Patriots history since sacks began being tracked as an official individual statistic in 1982. 

Judon’s quarterback pressure rate of 15.7% across the last three seasons (since 2021) is the seventh-best in the entire league and is actually ahead of Watt’s 15.1% in this span. Conversely, Atlanta’s team quarterback pressure rate of 27.6% since 2021 is the worst in the entire NFL, so it is filling a significant need with this move. 

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The 49ers are adding some veteran depth to their defensive line.

Nick Williams will sign with the 49ers, according to multiple reports.

The 49ers lost defensive lineman Kalia Davis for about half the season when he injured his knee in the preseason opener, and getting Williams in the rotation will help.

The 34-year-old Williams entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2013. He has also played for the Chiefs, Dolphins, Bears, Lions, Giants and Chargers. Last season Williams played in 14 games with six starts for the Chargers.

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Brandon Aiyuk’s crazy contract saga might be coming to an end. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a deal on a potential trade for the 49ers receiver, according to NFL Network. Pittsburgh is also in a good place when it comes to a possible long-term deal for Aiyuk if the 49ers sign off on the trade, per the report. 

The report also stated that the 49ers have sent Aiyuk a long-term contract offer, but he has not accepted it at this time. The two sides simply have not been able to find common ground on an extension despite months of trying. 

If the trade goes down, it would signal the end of one of the NFL’s biggest offseason storylines. 

Aiyuk, 26, has made it clear that he did not want to play the 2024 season under the franchise tag. He requested a trade once it became clear to him that that could be a possibility. Aiyuk pushed the issue of a possible trade by not practicing and publicly stating that he wants to play for either the Commanders or Steelers. 

The 49ers have reportedly listened to outside offers for Aiyuk in a potential trade, including one from the Patriots that would…

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Lenoir alludes to defensive mindset costing 49ers Super Bowl 58 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ defense fought valiantly in Super Bowl LVIII, but could a more aggressive approach have swung the game in San Francisco’s favor? Star cornerback Deommodore Lenoir believes so.

After Monday’s practice, Lenoir detailed how the 49ers’ defenses difficulty finishing games ultimately doomed San Francisco in its heartbreaking 25-22 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I feel like it’s just us finishing,” Lenoir said. “I feel like it was games that … I mean we didn’t start out fast but we didn’t finish strong. The games that we lost, I feel like if we just finish in the fourth [quarter], keep our foot on people’s necks, we’d be Super Bowl champions.”

The Chiefs converted on six of their eight third- and fourth-down attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime of Super Bowl LVIII, highlighting the 49ers’ defenses inability to deliver a knockout punch after holding serve for the majority of the game.

The 49ers’ defense allowed only one Chiefs’ touchdown in regulation — coming on a drive where Kansas City’s offense started on San Francisco’s 16-yard line after return man Ray-Ray McCloud III muffed a punt. The Chiefs only other points in regulation came via four Harrison Butker field goals.

The problem is that three of Butker’s field goals came immediately after a 49ers’ scoring drive, with a pair of those kicks tying the game in the fourth quarter after San Francisco had taken two separate leads in the final frame.

The failure to get a big stop with the game on the line likely factored into Steve Wilks‘ firing less than a week after the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss, which opened the door for Nick Sorenson to take the defensive coordinator reins after serving on San Francisco’s coaching staffs for two seasons.

With Sorensen and Brandon Staley now overseeing the defense, Lenoir has the utmost confidence the 49ers’ new brain trust’s emphasis on…

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It was only one game, but each of the five first-round rookie quarterbacks enjoyed success in their NFL debuts, which took place during Week 1 of the preseason. 

No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels made their debuts on Saturday. Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall pick, and No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy made their NFL debuts on Sunday. Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, and No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. kicked things off after making their debuts on Thursday night. 

So, how did each one do? Here’s a breakdown of each quarterback’s debut, starting with the first player selected in April’s draft. 

Williams created a highlight-reel play on his first drive. After a setback via holding penalty, the Bears found themselves in third-and-long, but Williams hung in the pocket and found wide receiver D.J. Moore for a 12-yard gain to move the sticks. On the very next snap, Williams pulled one out of his bag of tricks. 

As the pocket collapsed around him, Williams flipped the ball forward to running back D’Andre Swift, who took off for a…

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