NFC Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said there’s “no open competition” at quarterback between Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, while the veteran is the incumbent starter: “There’s no open competition right now. Jimmy is coming in as the one and Trey is coming in as the two.” (Around the NFL)
• Regarding Garoppolo, Shanahan said: “Jimmy’s a very good player. And when Jimmy’s at the top of his game, I told him this back when we made the trade: ‘There’s no rookie that’s going to just come in here right away and take your job if you’re at the top of your game. He’s our best quarterback in the building right now, so he’ll start out training camp that way and we’ve got three other guys behind him. We’re going to give Trey the first chance, obviously, as the backup.”
• Regarding Lance not signing his rookie contract, GM John Lynch commented that these situations can take time: “We’ve never had a holdout but it always seems to go down to the wire.” 
• 49ers DE Nick Bosa has reportedly recovered very well from his torn ACL last year and his get-off in offseason training is quicker than it’s ever been. (Matt Barrows)
• Bosa passed his entry physical and avoided starting camp on the PUP list, as did fellow 49ers DE Dee Ford. While Lynch was cautious in discussing Ford’s back injury, teammates like LB Fred Warner have been more optimistic: “Dee, he’s great. He looks great — he’s back. I’ve seen him plenty and he’s been working his tail off.”

Cardinals

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury said he’s not concerned about Larry Fitzgerald potentially retiring and the offense has a plan “ready either way” at receiver. 

“We’ve been over all that,” Kingsbury said, via Darren Urban of the team’s official site. “The ball is in his court. We feel like we have great depth in our (receivers) group regardless, but we will have a plan ready either way.”

Cardinals WR Christian Kirk didn’t have much input on Fitzgerald’s situation but isn’t surprised with the veteran taking his time. 

“I don’t get paid to make those decisions,” Kirk said. “And those are the hard decisions that will be made if he does or if he doesn’t come back. But being really close to Larry and knowing how he operates, it doesn’t surprise me he’s going about it the way that he is. There is always a rhyme and reason.”

Rams

Rams fourth-round TE Jacob Harris thinks his blocking ability plays as both a TE and WR.

“From the outside (of the alignment), blocking is blocking — defensive backs like to move around and jump a lot, so you’ve got to be just square base, and make sure you don’t get beat — know where to lose, and what your leverage is and scheme,” Harris said, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. “The same rules kind of apply to tight end, but you’re working with bigger bodies, honestly stronger athletes — I don’t want to knock DBs, but those guys in there are a lot stronger. So, that’s like what I said about technique — you have to have a better technique to win against guys who are just as strong or maybe a little stronger.”

Rams seventh-round RB Jake Funk isn’t taking his opportunity for granted.

“The thing for me is because I’ve gone through two season-ending injuries, I had the game taken away from me, I come into the game with a whole different perspective,” Funk said. “I try to just make plays whenever I’m on the field because it can get taken away from you in an instant. … Having that appreciation, because of what got taken away from me, it just allows me to play and appreciate every time that (I) step on that field.”

Seahawks

• Michael-Shawn Duggar of The Athletic doesn’t expect TEs Cam Sutton, Tyler Mabry or Dominique Wood-Anderson to make the Seahawks’ active roster if Gerald Everett, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson are all healthy for Week 1. 
• Duggar could see undrafted WR Cade Johnson make the active roster if he performs well in the preseason. 
• Regarding the Seahawks’ offensive line, Duggar notes that G Jamarco Jones could be on the roster bubble if Stone Forsythe and Cedric Ogbuehi are capable of playing the backup tackle roles. However, Jones could stay as a backup offensive guard. 
• Duggar expects the Seahawks starting cornerbacks to be Ahkello Witherspoon and D.J. Reed come Week 1.
• At the Seahawks nickel role, Duggar writes that it seems to be a “two-man race” with Ugo Amadi and Marquise Blair.