Wide receiver Jacob Cowing didn't waste any time after returning from his hamstring injury. The rookie has been impressive and is all but certain to secure a spot on the San Francisco 49ers' 53-man roster.
Cowing spoke to reporters after Monday's practice, sharing how he stayed on top of things even when he couldn't be on the field.
"There was times I would always just peek out, always watch practice, see what they're doing," Cowing said. "I would always look at the script, too, when we were in meetings, and then take a picture on my phone of the script, and then watch practice and see what they were doing to kind of get a good feel of it."
Cowing didn't hesitate to ask coaches and teammates about specific plays, ensuring he was ready to hit the ground running upon his return. He focused on playing the way that got him drafted in the fourth round—fast and explosive, something he's demonstrated during the preseason.
"That was really my main focus when I got back off of this injury, just going out there, just exploding off the rock, closing distance between me and the DBs, and just creating separation as well," he said.
Cowing admitted that his hamstring injury was in the back of his mind when he first returned, but that concern diminished with each practice.
"After a couple practices, got confident with my hamstring, how strong it felt, so I was able to go out there and start going full throttle and everything," Cowing shared.
The rookie also credited his college experience, transitioning from UTEP to Arizona, with helping him learn the 49ers' offense.
"A lot of concepts that we did at Arizona are very similar to here," Cowing explained. "The verbiage is obviously different. There's a lot more motions here, too, within our playbook. But the same way that I had to adapt and learn the playbook when I transferred to Arizona is kind of very similar to when I got here, too.
"Just continue to ask questions, continue to look at it over and over, even right before I go to bed, so I wake up in the morning and still have a fresh memory of it. Those are kind of the aspects that I did when I transferred from UTEP to Arizona that helped me in that playbook, and I'm trying to do the same thing here, is to just continue doing my routine to help me understand the playbook a lot better."
Cowing may also take on punt return duties, something he enjoys and feels comfortable doing, always with the end zone in sight. Whatever the challenge, he feels ready, though he acknowledges there's still room to grow.
"I'm feeling confident," Cowing declared. "I think there's still room for improvement, obviously, for me to get better as a player, as a punt returner, as a receiver. There's a lot more things I need to get better at. But, at the end of the day, it's one day at a time. Just gaining confidence every single day, learning more things about myself, and then also learning more things about how the offense is run, what they're expecting.
"So just every day that I go into practice, and every game that I've [played in the] preseason, it's a stepping stone. Every day, I'm gaining more and more confidence, just having an understanding of what we're trying to get accomplished on the offense."
