NFC Notes: 49ers, Lions, Rams

49ers

Matt Barrows of the Sacremento Bee writes that the 49ers have six NFL-caliber tight ends on their roster but may only be able to keep three or four of them.

“Yeah, we have some good competition there,” HC Kyle Shanahan said. “It’s going to be tough for the coaches, but it’s definitely a good problem to have.”

The 49ers group of tight ends consists of: Blake Bell, Garrett Celek, Cole Hikutini, George Kittle, Vance McDonald, and Logan Paulsen.

Lions

• Following the news that the Raiders have signed QB Derek Carr to a record five-year, $125 million contract, Michael Rothstein writes that the big question for the Lions isn’t if a deal will get done with Matthew Stafford; it’s when.
• Rothstein admits that Stafford could still wait and see what happens with Kirk Cousins and the Redskins in the coming weeks, but still work on the framework of an agreement in the time being.
• In the end, Rothstein believes Stafford is well positioned to take over as the highest-paid player in the NFL.

Rams

Rams new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips explained that he has a “good feeling” about the team’s defensive unit based on what he’s seen from them in offseason workouts.

 “I have a good feeling about this team,” Phillips said, via ESPN.com. “Again, we’re only in shorts and we haven’t done anything live game-wise, which we’ll get to. I feel good with where we are right now. Comparatively to the teams that I’ve gone to in the first year, I think they’re right on par with those teams. And a lot of those teams did well.”

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the guys’ attitude, No. 1, and also the ability we have,” Phillips added. “I think we have a lot of talented players. They’re working hard to get better, and I think we will show that in the fall when we start playing, start practicing together. We don’t make many mistakes, and they’re real aggressive and they play well as a team.”