NFC Notes: 49ers, Cowboys, Seahawks

49ers

• Although Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes the 49ers do not value former first-round DL Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas, he does not expect San Francisco to draft an interior defensive lineman with their first-round pick.
• Barrows point to the 49ers low number of batted passes for the defensive line (four) as a direct result of their pass rushing struggles.
• Barrows believes the 49ers’ “realistic hope” for Thomas is that he transforms into a Geno Atkins-type player, who is able to beat offensive linemen with power and quickness despite being a smaller defensive tackle.
• 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said OL Joshua Garnett‘s thumb surgery will not be season-ending. (Cam Inman)

Cowboys

Amari Cooper said after Thursday’s game that he doesn’t want to prove that the Raiders were wrong to trade him, but that the Cowboys made the right move to acquire him.

“I don’t want to prove the Raiders wrong,” Cooper said, via Pro Football Talk. “I just want to prove the Cowboys right. They traded for me, and I’m going to be a good player for them.”

“I tried to come in here and be an asset as soon as possible,” Cooper added. “. . . I want to come out here and help my team win and prove that the Cowboys were right in trading for me, and I think this is one step toward doing that.”

Seahawks

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll did not rule out LB K.J. Wright (knee) from Week 12 but added that he is still unsure about Wright’s status.

“We are going to find out,’’ Carroll said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “We don’t know.’’

Regarding the Seahawks’ weakside linebacker spot vacated by Wright, DC Ken Norton said they plan to go “with the hot hand” and added that LB Austin Calitro played well in Week 11.

“Well, you’ve got to go with the hot hand,’’ Norton said. “Calitro made some plays and he was feeling it and I felt like in that style of play, his style of play fit to what they were doing – the open game, the runs they were trying to do, the passes across the middle and I felt like Calitro, that fit his style.”