NFC Notes: 49ers, DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals, Matthew Stafford, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

49ers DE Nick Bosa doesn’t think he will encounter any issues when it comes to re-signing with the team.

“I have a lot of faith that when the time comes, it will be smooth,” Bosa said, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

• 49ers GM John Lynch on QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who remains on the team at this point in time: “We’ll stay patient through this one and come to a great conclusion for everybody involved. He’s cleared to be at practice. We made the decision it’s in his best interest to be off to the side. No restrictions. I’m watching him throw right now, looks pretty good.” (Inman)
• 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan revealed DT Hassan Ridgeway sustained a mild quad strain and will miss a couple of weeks. (Nick Wagoner)

Cardinals

Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins will be out the first six games of the NFL season while he serves a suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Hopkins says he tested positive for Ostarine which is on the NFL’s banned list, coming in at 0.134 percent, just barely above the NFL’s threshold of 0.1 percent. He says that level is due to contamination from something else but his hands are tied because of how rigid the NFL policy is. 

“I’ve never taken any of that kind of stuff,” Hopkins said via Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com. “If you know about what it is, it can be in shampoo, it can be in a lot of different things. Obviously the NFL is very black and white, so of course, I wish the rule wasn’t so black and white. It is what it is. It’s hard to know when something gets contaminated at a trace amount when you’re not working at the manufacturing company.”

• Mike Jurecki points out the Cardinals are moving LB Isaiah Simmons around more. Veteran free agent signing Nick Vigil has been starting next to Zaven Collins at inside linebacker while Simmons has lined up on the outside across from Markus Golden. 
• Jurecki adds Simmons has seen time in the slot at cornerback and at safety, which is closer to the role he played in college.  
• Howard Balzer of SI.com points out Collins has also lined up on the edge at times. 
• Cardinals OL Justin Murray will miss two to three weeks with an ankle injury, which prompted the team to sign veteran OL Rashaad Coward. (Darren Urban)

Rams

Rams WR Van Jefferson is scheduled to have knee surgery on Tuesday according to HC Sean McVay.

“It was really positive news that we got on him,” McVay said, via Sarah Barshop. “He’s in good spirits. We’ll get his knee cleaned up tomorrow.”

McVay added that the team “lessened QB Matthew [Stafford]‘s workload during camp today,” having him take part in the individual reps but not the team drills. McVay said Stafford is “still feeling a little bit of pain,” but “it’s not something that we’re concerned about.”

McVay said Stafford could push through, but the goal is to have him available for a deep playoff run.

“He could push through it,” McVay said. “He’s been throwing and competing in team settings. We felt like the smart thing was, let’s really just take it a week at a time. The most important thing is for him feeling good and healthy on September 8. We could certainly push and he could really grind through this but that’s not the goal with somebody like him. It’s not something that we’re concerned about. We just want to be really smart with somebody that is as important as our quarterback is.”

Seahawks

Seahawks DC Clint Hurtt has big expectations for his defensive line, which he has been coaching in Seattle since 2017 despite being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2022.

“If the front isn’t playing at a high level, you’re not going to have a chance to be successful, so it starts there,” Hurtt told reporters, via SeahawksWire.com. “With the interior guys that we have on the D–line, between Al (Woods), (Bryan) Mone, Poona (Ford), Shelby (Harris), and Quinton (Jefferson), there are no excuses. They should be playing at a high level, that’s the expectation, that’s the standard, and they’ve done that, and have practiced really well.“

“Obviously, the guys that we have on the edge in Uchenna (Nwosu), DT (Darrell Taylor), (Boye) Mafe, and Alton (Robinson), those guys have to play at a high level,” Hurtt continued. “They have had a nice start to camp, so it’s been good.”