NFC Notes: Brandon Aiyuk, Marvin Harrison Jr, 49ers, Cardinals, Eagles

49ers

49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir said he cannot believe reports of WR Brandon Aiyuk‘s trade request given he’s a crucial part of their offense. 

“This can’t be true,” Lenoir said, via 49ersWebZone. “He’s extremely important to our offense. The stuff he can do, the amount of targets he had, and the production, it’s kind of second to none. So with just hearing that news, it’s kind of crazy.”

Lenoir acknowledged that San Francisco eventually got extensions done for Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa. In the end, he expects the 49ers to reach an agreement with Aiyuk. 

“At the end of the day, we feel like we go out there, we risk our bodies to play the game we love, and we kind of deserve what we ask for,” Lenoir said. “But for Aiyuk, he’s a big part of this team, one of the reasons why we even made it this far, to the Super Bowl. Without his contribution to the team—he means a lot to us. So I’m banging on it getting the job done. We was two for two with Deebo and Bosa, so I feel like there’s going to be some type of agreement that comes soon.”

Cardinals

Cardinals TE Trey McBride called first-round WR Marvin Harrison Jr. an “elite” receiver already and added he has uncanny speed for his size. 

“This guy’s elite,” McBride said, via Adam Schefter. “He’s a freak of nature. It’s one of those things where a guy of his stature shouldn’t be able to move the way he moves, shouldn’t be as fast as he is, shouldn’t be able to catch the ball the way he does. Everything he does is elite. The hype that was around him in college, he’s definitely lived up to the hype.”

Eagles

Eagles G Tyler Steen feels he’s developed from mental and physical standpoints going into the second year of his career. 

“I’m a lot further mentally and physically,” Steen said. “Coming in, you really don’t know what’s going on. Everything is pretty fast. I’ve been in the system for a year and I think that has helped me out a lot. Last year, playing guard was new to me so spending that year at guard has given me that experience and has allowed me to adapt. I think it’s been pretty good. I know I’ve got to earn it every day. I know nothing is going to be given to me. I have to prove that I should be able to play so that’s how I’m looking at it.”

Steen compared lining up at guard to playing tackle, which was his position during his college career at Vanderbilt and Alabama. 

“You’re inside and it’s a different view than when you play at tackle,” Steen said. “Different angles of the way they are attacking and how you can adjust.”

Steen said playing the interior line meant he had to gain size to successfully protect against large defensive linemen. 

“At guard, you’ve got to be a bigger, wider dude,” Steen said. “You’re going against bigger bodies (interior defensive linemen rather than edge pass rushers at offensive tackle). Focusing on training for that helps you be more prepared. At the end of the day, it’s still O-line play. But, if you compartmentalize how you need to play at guard vs. tackle, then I think it’s OK.”