49ers

Fans saw a lot of 49ers third-round RB Kaelon Black in his debut, more than most expected, to be frank. Black had 15 touches for 70 yards, was remarkably close to star RB Christian McCaffrey in snaps (28 to 36) and even had more carries than McCaffrey. San Francisco clearly is enamored with how the rookie runs the ball. 

“He runs hard,” 49ers RT Colton McKivitz said via NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco, “and I have the bruises on my back to prove it.”

McKivitz compared Black to former 49ers RB Jordan Mason.

“When you got a young back who’s ready to run hard and doesn’t question himself, that’s what we look for in this offense,” McKivitz said. “When he sees a hole, he hits it.

“He reminds me a little of JP (Jordan Mason) but with a little more juice. It’s nice to have a guy like that. He’ll learn some things. Hopefully, he’ll open his eyes and not run into me. But it’s exciting to have a guy like that.”

Cardinals

There was a ton of speculation about Cardinals OLB Josh Sweat and his future this offseason. Sweat wasn’t around the team for most of the spring, then spent most of camp on the PUP list with an injury that was shrouded in secrecy (he said he had an offseason procedure and that it wasn’t on his knee, which is all the detail he or the team has provided).

Yet Week 1 came around and Sweat was suiting up in Arizona. Getting a big win against the Chargers probably helped the vibes, but he said afterward, “I’m where I want to be.” 

“There was a lot of noise in the offseason, but I didn’t respond purposely,” Sweat said via Darren Urban of the team website. “I just wanted to see how far people’s imagination could take it.”

There was buzz about a trade to the Packers specifically that got a lot of traction late during training camp, especially because Sweat came off the PUP list in time to participate in joint practices in Green Bay and because of his long history with Packers DC Jonathan Gannon. Sweat addressed his relationship with Gannon specifically.  

“People think I only came here for one reason and that was Jonathan Gannon, and yeah, that made the decision easier for me, but I know the guys that were here,” Sweat said. “I love the way they play. I love that we want to make something bigger happen here. It’s too good of a place to be where it was last year.” 

Rams

• Rams HC Sean McVay said there’s no timeline for DE Myles Garrett after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday: “We had been aware of this. Thought this was something he’d be able to work through.” (Andrew Siciliano)
• McVay also said S Kamren Curl is good after experiencing some ankle soreness, while LB Nathan Landman is expected to play in Week 2 despite dealing with shoulder and thumb injuries. (Stu Jackson)
• According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Rams knew Garrett was working through a knee injury but felt he was going to be able to manage it while playing at a high level.
• After the Week 1 loss to the 49ers, Rapoport said they realized that was not the case, leading to the decision to have surgery in hopes of getting him back to 100 percent when he returns to the field.
• Garrett had surgery Monday, and Rapoport mentioned the Rams are optimistic he will miss just the four games after going on injured reserve, although he still has to progress through rehab.