49ers
49ers LB Fred Warner said he saw a ton of growth in QB Brock Purdy this past season and said that he’s one of his biggest supporters.
“Anybody who listens to me knows that I love Brock Purdy,” Warner said, via PFT. “I love everything about him — the way that he’s made up, the player that he is, his story. That’s my thing, is, how can you hate on a guy when he has a story that he’s had and the success that he’s brought to our team as ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ last pick in the draft. I don’t know of anybody else who’s been the last pick in the draft and has been a starter. Even a starter for a football team, nonetheless, the franchise quarterback,” Warner continued. “And he took a huge leap this year in leadership, I think, just being in command of, not only the offense, but the team as well. He’s been awesome. The sky’s the limit for this kid. I can just go on all day with him.”
Eagles
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley never lost faith that things would turn around for him even when he was not having team success during his time with the Giants.
“It means everything. That’s life, though. You’re going to have adversity,” Barkley said, via NFL.com. “You’re going to have up and downs, but it’s who you are in those moments, and I never lost faith and I just kept my head down and kept working, and was able to get here and be able to surround myself with unbelievable individuals. When you’re able to do that, you’re able to have a lot of success.”
“Me and my family literally had a sheet, we did pros and cons,” Barkley added of making his free-agent decision. “The only con about Philly was I might get some slack ’cause I played in New York. So, it was a no-brainer for me. The talent that we have here, going against those guys, hearing stories about the organizations, and then most importantly, those big boys up front.”
Eagles teammates RT Lane Johnson and DE Brandon Graham are happy to have Barkley on their side after facing him twice per season previously during his time in New York.
“I never thought I was going to get him as a teammate,” Johnson said Monday, “But his first impression was he’s a great guy. A lot of fun to be around. And then you put the ball in his hands — turns out, he’s pretty good.”
“I just knew he was going to mess up some people’s backs trying to emulate the same thing that he did, (but) they ain’t Saquon,” Graham mentioned. “That was so special in that moment, to be able to see it live and be right there. It’s still something I go watch after the fact. You seen him when he was with the Giants. He made do with what he had. But for us, it’s everybody. The offensive line’s really good. Him, making his little cuts and do what he do, I think it works well together with the type of team we have. We’ve been taking full advantage of it.”
Chiefs DT Chris Jones knows that his team is going to have their hands full stopping the best running back in the NFL in order to win another Super Bowl.
“In order to beat this team, we probably gotta stop Saquon first,” Jones noted. “He’s having a heckuva year and they been relying heavy on running that ball. He can jump crazy. He can outrun you, he can run you over. … There’s just not no one thing he does. He’s so athletic. He can jump over you. He can outrun you. So many challenges.”
Panthers
Carolina had an impressive surge to end the season, including near upsets over both teams in the Super Bowl. Former Panthers QB Jake Delhomme described how much it means for them to be on the cusp of beating some of the league’s best teams.
“For Bryce to get out of the tackle in the end zone and just make play after play, go down the field on the road in Philly, it gave you a good feeling that, OK, this kid, he could be what everyone thought he was,” via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “Just sometimes it takes a little while. We want instant success. Both of those games, you knew they were good, quality football teams. But the game against Kansas City in Charlotte, that’s the coming-out for Bryce that I was like, wow.”
Rookie WR Xavier Legette and an up-and-down first year but Delhomme loves his physical traits in potential that should propel him as he goes forward.
“For somebody like him — unbelievably raw, very, very talented — a rookie year can do wonders. Does he drop a couple of pounds? What does he work on more? … I saw too many flashes.”
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