NFC Notes: 49ers, Broncos, Dolphins

49ers

49ers CB Richard Sherman credited QB Jimmy Garoppolo for responding well to the criticism he’s received. 

“You don’t become a great player by letting people say whatever they want about you, and not taking some of it as fuel,” Sherman said. “Everybody responds to it differently, everybody has different personalities. But you can tell by his play he’s heard it, and he’s responded well.”

Garoppolo admitted that he uses criticism as motivation to perform at a high level. 

“Everyone has different ways to get motivated, and very similar to Sherm I do the same thing,” Garoppolo said. “I hear all the stuff and everything, but you can’t put that all out there all the time. … At the end of the day, you’ve got to go out there and play football.”

• Joel Corry of CBS Sports mentions 49ers RB Jerick McKinnon as a notable player under contract who could be playing for another team in 2020.

Broncos

When asked about the possibility of trading one of the possible 12 picks the Broncos will have in the 2020 NFL Draft, GM John Elway said he isn’t ruling anything out. 

“You never say, “Never,”  to anything,” Elway said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. “You never lock into anything. We’re fortunate enough to have a lot of draft capital. Once we get through free agency and see where that is and get into the month of the draft, that’s when all of that starts.”

Elway stressed the importance of QB Drew Lock continuing to show improvement as an NFL quarterback.

“He just has to continue to play. He’ll keep working on different things. The more things he sees, the better he’s going to get.”

Dolphins

• The Dolphins have hired California DBs coach Gerald Alexander as their new defensive backs’ coach. (Adam Beasley)
• Joel Corry of CBS Sports mentions Dolphins S Reshad Jones as a notable player under contract who could be playing for another team in 2020.