NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers QB coach Brian Griese admitted QB Trey Lance is in a much better position in training camp this year.

“He looks a lot better,” Griese said, via NBC Sports. “There’s no question.”

Lance is expected to compete for the backup role with QB Sam Darnold.

“Now being healthy gives him a platform with which to find his natural rhythm, to find his natural motion and to throw the ball like he did in college,” Griese said. “I’m really happy he’s at that point where he’s healthy enough to do that. And now he’s put in work on top of that with his motion to give himself a chance to be more accurate.”

Lance is expected to get plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities during the preseason.

“I’m excited about him getting into some of these preseason games and having the positive reinforcement that he can build confidence and continue to do that,” Griese said.

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay indicated most of the players on their roster are going to play this preseason, which makes a lot of sense. Outside of QB Matthew Stafford, DT Aaron Donald and WR Cooper Kupp, there are very few proven commodities on the roster who need to sit more than they need the preseason reps. 

“It’s going to be very different than what you guys are accustomed to,” McVay said via Pro Football Talk. “We haven’t decided exactly, but we’ve got to get guys ready to go. There’s a lot of players on this team that haven’t had an opportunity to even really suit up, play real tackle football, that we’re going to be counting on against Seattle [in Week One of the regular season]. So it’s going to be a very different approach now…”

“The Matthews and the Aarons, you’re not going to see them but, we’re still kind of working through that. But it will be very different than what we’ve been accustomed to, and really even in 2017 when we got here, we did play guys in those first couple preseason games and just a series in the third one. So, that really kind of started from ‘18 on and I think this is a lot closer to 2017 where we’re kind of learning a lot about these guys. But the guys that have been big contributors that have played a lot of snaps, we’ll tilt towards being smart with them. But for the most part, there’s going to be a lot of guys that are playing and very few guys that won’t.”

Seahawks

Seahawks first-round CB Devon Witherspoon has already made an impact on the team’s defense. Seahawks DC Clint Hurtt said Witherspoon’s energy is infectious and he’s always flying around the ball.

“I love his spirit and the energy that he brings playing this game,” Hurtt said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “It’s infectious with this young kid, that’s just how he is all the time. That’s something that everybody else will build off of. He had a heck of a day. Super competitive. He’s going to tackle, he’s going to get in fits and obviously, we know what he can do as a cover guy. Really impressed with him.”