NFC Notes: Brock Purdy, Kyler Murray, Kenneth Walker, 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks

49ers

49ers QB Brock Purdy played so well it was easy to forget he was a rookie sometimes. But 2023 will be just his second season, and 49ers QB coach Brian Griese has a long list of areas where he’d like to see improvement from Purdy. 

“Every part of his game,” Griese said via NBC Sports’ Ali Thanawalla. “I think that when you’re thrown into the fire, there’s a lot that you learn on the fly and there’s a lot of things that we all saw that he does really well. His composure, his accuracy, his escape-ability. I’d love to see him continue to grow in every aspect of playing quarterback and that’s timing, it’s rhythm, it’s accuracy, it’s reading defenses, it’s playing from the pocket, limiting turnovers, giving our team the best chance to win.”

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon wouldn’t comment on Kyler Murray‘s recovery from his torn ACL and they are taking things day-by-day this offseason. 

“We’ll see,” Gannon said, via Darren Urban of the team’s official site. “Long way to go. There are five or six weeks before we start. We’ll take it day by day and he’s doing a good job improving his game every day, in the training room, in the meeting room.”

Cardinals’ fifth-round QB Clayton Tune said he will “make the most” of any opportunity to play if he’s called upon. 

“I am here to do my job,” Tune said. “If I get an opportunity, I want to make the most of it. I didn’t even know people were saying that but if I get my opportunity, I’ll make the most of it.”

Seahawks

Seattle got very little receiving production from its backfield in 2022 but the Seahawks seem to be hoping to change that in 2023, as evidenced by a few different players specifically mentioning the screen game as an area the offense has focused on for improvement. The team drafted second-round RB Zach Charbonnet and seventh-round RB Kenny McIntosh to help augment their backfield in that area along with incumbent RB Kenneth Walker. McIntosh is highly polished as a receiver for a running back, while Charbonnet caught 61 passes in his final two college seasons. 

“Yeah, they’re catchers, for sure,” Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said via ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “Kenny is a really natural athlete, you can just see it in everything that he does. Zach does everything well. He just is a complete ballplayer. He’s already shown his understanding and his instincts about blocking in the passing game — not the physical side of it, but his assignments and his footwork and stuff like that. We’ve just got to throw them out there and start handing the ball to them, see what happens and see who produces and all. I know [Walker] has been really impressed with those guys too, and for a guy to say stuff about his young teammates like that — he’s come out and been outspoken about it — that’s a statement. So they look really good.”

The Seahawks were expected to add to their backfield in the draft but it still caught some people off-guard when they used a second-round pick on Charbonnet just a year after using a second on Walker, who actually got more first-place votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year than the winner of the award, Jets WR Garrett Wilson. Carroll says by all indications Walker has taken the move in stride and has worked to not only support his new teammates, but improve his own receiving game to meet the competition. 

“He’s worked so hard with the receivers,” Carroll said. “He’s worked full-speed day after day after day. His confidence, his explosiveness, his quickness, his ability to run the routes and catch the ball, he’s doing everything. He’s catching punts. He’s catching kickoffs. He’s doing everything he can possibly do, and he’s having a blast. His attitude and spirit is just such a great compliment too, coming off the season that he had. I’m glad we’ve got a lot of guys at that spot. We’re not going to overuse him in the early part of preseason … but he’s ready to go. He’s had as good of an offseason as you could have, really.”