NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

• 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan has said in a couple of interviews the team will be cautious trading away more draft picks and the Athletic’s Matt Barrows points out it’s because they have 30 pending free agents in 2022 and not an overflowing amount of cap space to work with. 
• Barrows writes there are currently six starters the 49ers have on expiring deals, including LB Fred Warner, RB Raheem Mostert, G Laken Tomlinson, CB K’Waun Williams, CB Jason Verrett and S Jaquiski Tartt. 
• Warner is expected to sign a massive extension sometime this summer. The future of the rest, per Barrows, likely depends on how they perform in 2021 or how other younger players at their position do. 
• There are also a host of defensive linemen on one-year deals, including DT Maurice Hurst, DE Arden Key, DT Zach Kerr, DE Daeshon Hall, DT D.J. Jones and DE Jordan Willis. 
• Barrows identifies the secondary and defensive line as places that will need attention in future 49ers drafts. 

Rams

• ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry notes one of the major questions for the Rams will be how they replace the losses from the No. 1 defense in 2020, including swapping Raheem Morris in to fill the void at defensive coordinator when Brandon Staley left to take the Chargers head coaching job. 
• The Rams also need to replace four starters, including S John Johnson, DT Michael Brockers, CB Troy Hill and OLB Samson Ebukam. Some contenders to replace them include S Taylor Rapp, DT A’Shawn Robinson, CB David Long and OLB Terrell Lewis.

Seahawks

Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett said they are embracing new OC Shane Waldron and focusing on ways to improve

“I think we’ve given him the freedom to kind of be who he’s always been, and we’ve allowed ourselves to learn, to be able to sit down and say, ‘You teach us, what is it that we’re missing? What is it that we need to know? How can we get better?’” Lockett said, via Matt Calkin of the Seattle Times. “And being able to give him that free range to really bring what he wants to bring in order to make us great. Instead of us acting like we got it together. Instead of us acting like we’ve been here before, we’ve always been to the playoffs this many times. Instead of acting like, ‘You need to follow our lead,’ I think we’ve done a really great job of being humble and learning how to follow his lead.” 

Lockett believes Waldron’s offense gives their receivers “more freedom” and that it will require players to be “more sophisticated.” 

“I think with the offense Shane brings in, it gives us more freedom. More freedom to be able to be the receivers that we can be. We got free range to do a lot of stuff,” Lockett said. “Not saying that we can just go out and do whatever we want, but the more sophisticated that you become in this offense, the more you’re able to understand how to switch your feet, how not to switch your feet, how to add an extra step, how not to add an extra step, rather than always just having to get to a certain point in a certain amount of time, you kind of have free range to play with it a little bit.”