NFC Notes: Trey Lance, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, Cam Akers

49ers

49ers’ second-year QB Trey Lance said that he began correcting his grip on the football back in March after dealing with a broken finger last season. 

“We started back at the end of March, after taking a little bit of time away after the season,” Lance said, via David Bonilla of 49ersWebZone. “Went to gripping a football again. … I learned to throw and finish off my middle finger versus my pointer finger. Kind of just reteaching that, and it didn’t take near as long as I thought. … By the time I got back to OTA, Phase 1, I wasn’t even thinking about it anymore.”

Lance feels like he is in “a whole other place” with his development this offseason compared to last year. 

“I’m in a whole other place,” Lance said. “I can’t even imagine going back to last year. But yeah, everything has definitely slowed down.”

Cardinals

• Regarding recent off-the-field incidents with WR Marquise Brown and RBs coach James Saxon, HC Kliff Kingsbury said that they must be better as an organization: “Moving forward, we got to be better as an organization handling our business. There’s no question.” (Josh Weinfuss)
• Kingsbury added that they were aware of Saxon’s domestic battery charge when the incident occurred in May. (Josh Weinfuss)
• Kingsbury said he didn’t expect TE Maxx Williams (ACL) to return from the Physically Unable to Perform list ahead of schedule: “I don’t think any of us anticipated us doing it.” (Josh Weinfuss)
• Kingsbury said they’ll know more about whether WR Antoine Wesley will require surgery on his groin/hip injury next week. (Darren Urban)

Rams

Rams RB Cam Akers quickly returned from an Achilles injury and said he is taking nothing for granted as he makes up for the lost time. 

“Just to be out here with the team, man, it feels good,” Akers said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. “Just to have that camaraderie that I missed out on last year, going through the camp. I missed it. You know when you take a year off, almost a year — it felt like a year, you miss everything about it, the small [things], the hard days, the easy days, good, bad. I’m just happy to be out here.”

“Whether it’s runs, passes, screens, whatever I need to do,” Akers continued. “Whenever my number’s called, whether it’s from the slot, the outside receiver to the backfield, I’ll be ready, whatever it is. I expect me to play at a much higher level. I just want to go out, get myself the best chance … to perform, do what I do best and that’s make plays. Whether that’s in the film room, whether that’s in the training room, I don’t know. Whatever it is, I’m putting my best foot forward.”

Rams HC Sean McVay commented on where Akers is at, citing the mental progression he wants to see for the young back to take the next step.

“He’s so talented, it’s just about the game slowing down for him,” McVay said. “Being able to recognize if he’s used in protection. All right, if I’m getting out free, how do I make sure if there’s any sort of foot traffic not to climb up on the offensive lineman’s heels and be able to get out clean on some of my check downs? Being able to read out the runs the right way in terms of where his eye progression starts.”