49ers

49ers WR Mike Evans has been sidelined with a soft tissue ailment, which is a reminder of the risk San Francisco took on when signing him. However, the team is optimistic he’ll be fine when it counts, and there’s a lot of excitement for how he’ll impact the offense as a whole. 

“I think Mike Evans is going to be the biggest benefactor for us,” 49ers LT Trent Williams said via ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “Just because you can’t have your safeties keyed in on filling the gaps. Because you can’t leave him 50-50, you can’t leave him one-on-one. And that’s the one thing that this offense in my opinion didn’t do as much, was attack downfield. Now, with the receiver room we have, and having the threats we have, I don’t know if you can just have everybody zero in on Christian [McCaffrey].”

The 49ers also made waves when they drafted WR De’Zhaun Stribling at the top of the second round — far earlier than most experts and mock drafts had him placed. But he’s also been an early standout and Williams said to watch out for him making an early mark. 

“He’s going to be a player. I promise you that,” Williams said. “He’s like Jauan [Jennings], same body type, but he runs 4.3. And his 4.3 speed shows in the game. His acceleration, it shows every time he touches the ball. And I think he’s going to be a guy who, early, he’ll get off fast when people aren’t planning on stopping him and stuff, and then once he’s jotted down as a real threat, then it opens up everything else, too.”

Rams

Rams WR Davante Adams said he sometimes feels the contrast between being one of the NFL’s elder statesmen and still feeling young enough to play at a high level.

“I battle with that sometimes, I do. I am the old man and I feel young because I can still go out there and do young man stuff, but then my body don’t necessarily feel the same way it’s done as it was back at Puka’s age,” Adams said, via Rams Wire.

Adams said the physical toll of a long NFL career is something he is willing to manage as long as he can continue producing at a high level.

“At the end of the day, what’s 13 times seven? Because this is dog years out here. It’s a whole different ball game than living years. If I can continue to play at a high level, I’ll deal with the other stuff whether it’s talking about me being old or a little bit of extra pain. It’s just a little extra work you have to do to come out of it.”

Seahawks

Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence commented on his decision to come back for the 2026 season after winning a Super Bowl.

“I kind of had my mind made up that if I won, I was done,” Lawrence said, per the team website. “But I kind of had a bittersweet feeling in my heart, understanding that with the type of team that we have, we should have been where we were last year. This is where the hard part begins and staying on the top.”

“They say it’s no fun when the rabbit has the gun,” Lawrence added. “We’re the ones with the dot on our back. So I just want to see how that feels. See the different obstacles that we can overcome. How are we going to stay together in those tough moments throughout the season and just be a part of this brotherhood once more.”