NFC Notes: 49ers, Bears, Cowboys

49ers

According to Matt Maiocco, the 49ers didn’t pursue any of wide receivers in free agency, but they’re likely to use a draft pick on a player to develop at the position.

Interestingly enough, 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan explained that while it’s great to have a star receiver like he did in Julio Jones while he was with the Falcons, it’s not a necessity.

“You definitely don’t need that,” Shanahan said. “If you ever have it, then keep it. It’s very fun to have and it’ll help you a ton. But that’s not something you need.

“You need guys who can beat man-to-man coverage. You need guys who are explosive enough to scare the secondary so it can open up your play-action game. And you need guys who can separate on third down. That doesn’t have to be a receiver. You’d like it to be all five of your eligibles — three receivers, your tight end and your running back.”

Bears

New Bears HC Matt Nagy mentioned recently that they plan on giving former first-round WR Kevin White “every opportunity to succeed.”

‘‘For me, I really, truly mean this when I say it: I am really excited to dig deep into him and put him in the best situation possible for Kevin White to succeed,’’ Nagy said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Here is a guy we have on our roster that, to a lot of people, can get lost in the shuffle or just pushed to the side. That’s not going to happen. We’re going to give him every opportunity to succeed.’’

Nagy added that it’s going to be a matter rebuilding White’s confidence as a player.

‘‘For [White] right now, it’s just going to be a confidence thing,’’ Nagy said. ‘‘If we can figure out a way to get his confidence back, he has all the physical tools.’’

Cowboys

• Mike Florio of Pro FootballTalk writes that the future of Cowboys HC Jason Garrett could ultimately hinge on whether the team returns to the playoffs in 2018.
• Florio says that Garrett’s ability to coexist with owner Jerry Jones has helped him remain the Cowboys’ head coach for the past seven years, but his days could be numbered if they aren’t in the postseason for the second straight year.
• Florio adds that one other aspect to watch for the Cowboys in 2018 is the play of QB Dak Prescott. Should he have a season more in line with his 2017 performance and Dallas decide to make a coaching change, Florio says it’s possible Prescott’s future with the Cowboys could hinge on what would be a contract year in 2019.