NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• Should the Texans make QB Deshaun Watson available, the Athletic’s David Lombardi notes the 49ers might need to include a young player like WR Deebo Samuel to help make up for not having as much draft capital as other teams who could be interested. 
• Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald thinks the 49ers are more likely to cut QB Jimmy Garoppolo if they trade for a replacement rather than finding a taker for his $25.5 million salary in 2021. 

Rams

The Rams are bringing in their third defensive coordinator in as many years, with Raheem Morris set to replace Brandon Staley. But Rams GM Les Snead indicated Morris is being brought on to run a pretty similar defense to what Staley led with great success in 2020. 

“I think [HC] Sean [McVay] has a vision to keep the DNA of the scheme that Brandon implemented, that’s kind of been innovated, created and evolved through Vic Fangio,” Snead said via the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. “We have coaches who know it and can keep that in-house. Raheem will learn it a little bit, but I know he will bring some derivatives from Tampa, from Seattle, with Dan Quinn in Atlanta. So, this is how all these schemes evolve when everyone starts mixing the ingredients together.”

• Rodrigue mentions the Rams are not expected to bring back WR Josh Reynolds or TE Gerald Everett and are additionally unlikely to re-sign RB Malcolm Brown or OLB Samson Ebukam.
• However, Snead says they have budgeted to be able to keep everyone they want to retain, including OLB Leonard Floyd and S John Johnson, as long as another team doesn’t outbid them: “If they test the market and get a salary that’s higher than the number we plugged into that Excel spreadsheet, it then becomes a calculus problem at that point.”
• Rodrigue mentions that the Rams had installed a change of pace package for backup QB Bryce Perkins similar to what the Saints have done with Taysom Hill. She says Perkins could compete with John Wolford for that role as well as other competitions going on at that position. 

Seahawks

Rams HC Sean McVay was prepared to lose Shane Waldron a couple of years ago, but hoping he didn’t. The Seahawks finally pried Waldron away from Los Angeles, hiring him as their next offensive coordinator, and McVay’s words from 2018 offer a window into what Seattle is getting. 

“He’s a phenomenal coach,” McVay said via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “He’s a great communicator. He’s got a rare ability to authentically and genuinely connect with not only coaches, but the players and be able to correct in a manner that doesn’t make guys’ guards come up. It’s all about problem solving and doing it together. He’s obviously done a phenomenal job, really mainly as a leader for our offense, not exclusively to just being a pass-game coordinator.”

• ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes Waldron was among the candidates Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was high on, so he’s presumably happy with the search. 
• Wilson’s personal QB coach Jake Heaps tweeted: “Text I received from a source on staff with the Rams. ‘This is a bigger loss for us than people realize. Shane is a great match for Russ.’ Yeah, I’m excited!”