safeties coach Dave Merritt has a simple explanation for free safety Darian Thompson's early-season struggles.
"Rookie. That's what I see," Merritt said. "I see a guy who played one, maybe two games last year. And all of a sudden he's coming back this year, playing his first full season."
It's been a rough restart for Thompson, whose rookie season ended after two games due to a Lisfranc foot injury. The coaching staff hasn't lost confidence in the 2016 third-round pick, but it would be understandable if there was less patience with Thompson's growing pains due to the presence of Andrew Adams.