49ers

49ers WR Deebo Samuel said returning to San Francisco felt natural because of his familiarity with the organization and staff.

“It kind of felt like I didn’t even go nowhere, to be honest,” Samuel said, via ESPN. “When I got back, I was just like, ‘Well, I know what’s going on. I know the people here. Staff still the same.’ So it’s kind of like the same for real.”

Samuel added that his relationship with GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan remained strong despite his trade request and departure last offseason.

“Conversations with me, John and Kyle have just always kind of been the same,” Samuel said. “It was just a matter of time before it happened.”

Samuel said navigating free agency was difficult, but he stayed focused on training and trusted that another opportunity would emerge.

“It was just a long process,” Samuel said. “It was frustrating, it was hard, but I had good people in my corner as far as the guys that I grew up with, a couple other people, but just head down and just get to work and just whatever happens, happens.”

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw explained that Samuel’s return gives the team confidence because of the energy he brings to the offense.

“He’s the juice of the offense,” Greenlaw said. “He’s the thing to keep that offense going when they need a spark. Just knowing that he’s going to be back on our side, it just gave you all the confidence in the world that we can get this done this year. I’m excited for him.”

• Matt Maiocco notes that the 49ers’ current injuries in training camp include: OL Carver Willis (concussion), FB Kyle Juszczyk (finger), WR Jacob Cowing (hip flexor), OL Brett Toth (undisclosed), along with “general soreness” for DE Nick Bosa, DT Osa Odighizuwa and Greenlaw.

Cardinals

There’s no getting around that a huge part of the appeal for first-year Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur was the circles he had the chance to run in as a budding coach. He’s the younger brother of Packers HC Matt LaFleur, has worked for both 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and Rams HC Sean McVay, and also spent time around defensive motivators like Commanders HC Dan Quinn and Titans HC Robert Saleh. Now that he has his shot in Arizona, though, LaFleur is trying to create his own legacy and that starts with being himself. 

“You gotta be who you are, you gotta be true to yourself and be your own person,” LaFleur said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “I’m not Sean. I’m not Kyle. I’m not my brother. I’m not Dan Quinn. I’ve been able to learn and take so many experiences from so many good buildings that you’re always going to draw from those guys. But personality-wise, you’ve got to be true to who you are and be authentic. I don’t go around preaching that I’m authentic, but I try to be that way every single day. Because anybody, let alone an NFL locker room, can see through bullshit.”

LaFleur added that he learned a ton from working so closely with Shanahan and McVay, and Arizona hired him hoping he could help the team overtake their division rivals. 

“The collaboration and communication, it does not go unnoticed,” he said. “Both buildings keep the main thing the main thing. What’s the main thing? These players and football. And there’s so many aspects to that. But how do we not create our own problems? How do we keep the main thing the main thing? Like, is this a problem or is it not? Let’s not create our own problems. Both those guys do that at such an incredible level.

“And I haven’t even said anything about them scheming and all those things, because they’re very different in that aspect. And obviously those guys are very good at that stuff, too.”

• Although the Cardinals placed OLB Josh Sweat on the Physically Unable to Perform List, LaFleur said he’s not worried about Sweat missing Week 1: “Whether you believe me or not, I’m not worried about him for Sept. 13, at all.” (Darren Urban)

Rams

Rams QB Stetson Bennett spent time practicing with their first-team offense this week while Matthew Stafford had the day off. Los Angeles OC Nate Scheelhaase said he’s been impressed by Bennett since last year.

“I appreciate his competitiveness in all moments,” Scheelhaase said, via Stu Jackson and Zach Edwards of the team’s site. “And going back to last year, obviously you get to experience him in training camp, you get to experience him in preseason, and just seeing the way that he went to work, the way that guys would rally around him, he competes. And I think anybody enjoys playing with a quarterback who competes, who’s going to throw it all in there, and that’s the mentality he has. And so that’s only grown, you know, since being here, but that’s something that’s been his calling card since the jump.”

Seahawks

Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV is impressed with first-round RB Jadarian Price so far after seeing him in pass-catching drills.

“He’s good, man,” Jones said with a smile, via ESPN. “Mature for his age, you can tell. You don’t get too many words out of him, but he’s working. He got me today, man. He had a hell of a route on me today. … I think he’s going to help us. He’s doing everything right and he’s got a great group of backs in front of him that’s kind of teaching him the way.”

• Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald said RB Zach Charbonnet is “hitting his hurdles” to come back from a torn ACL but wouldn’t give any timetable. (Brian Nemhauser)