NFC Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Rams

49ers

• Nick Wagoner of ESPN considers Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley and rookie C.J. Beathard to all be locks to earn spots on the team’s 53-man roster.
• While 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan has been saying that there will be competition across the board this summer, Wagoner believes it’s all but certain Hoyer will handle the starting job.
• This means that the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Hoyer could be up for grabs between Barkley and Beathard.
• Wagoner mentions that Barkley had his “ups and downs” during OTAs and the possibility at least exists that Beathard could push him for the backup job.

Cardinals

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic takes a look at three positions the Cardinals could still address this summer.

• Somers points out that beyond veteran Jermaine Gresham, Arizona’s tight ends are largely unproven, which could lead them to consider available free agents such as Gary Barnidge or Jim Dray.
• There has been a lot of talk about the Cardinals’ cornerback position this offseason, given that there’s a lot of uncertainty outside of Patrick Peterson. Somers doesn’t expect the team to show interest in veteran Darrelle Revis, but mentions Alterraun Verner and Brandon Flowers as two notable players that are still available.
• Somers mentions that this is a critical training camp for RB Andre Ellington. If the Cardinals just aren’t comfortable with their depth at running back, Somers could see them re-signing veteran Chris Johnson.

Rams

According to Rams P Johnny Hekker, second-year QB Jared Goff has “grown a ton” this offseason.

“He’s grown a ton and he’s worked very hard this offseason to be more physically and mentally prepared,” Hekker said, via gridiron-magazine.com. “The confidence levels about him are much higher than when he first came in.”

Hekker added that the transition into the NFL is difficult for player, but Goff now looks much sharper than he was as a rookie.

“Your world sort of spins when you get into the NFL and you don’t know what to expect,” Hekker said. “He seems much more prepared coming into this season and just looking much sharper, so I’m excited to see what he has for us this season.”