NFC Notes: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks, K.J. Wright

49ers’ OC Mike McDaniel offered praise for veteran WR Mohamed Sanu, who he says has come into camp with a chip on his shoulder.

“I think Mohamed Sanu serves as a vision for a lot of the young guys because this dude came back in great shape and with something to prove,” McDaniel said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “You can tell he does not expect anything to be given to him. And he’s trying to earn his spot on this team. It was very exciting to see him perform (in the offseason program). He was doing very well, and if he comes back to training camp in that same shape, he’s going to be a guy who is going to be tough to beat out for that final roster. The competition is heavy, and you’d be a fool to try to predict who’ll be on our final roster with or without injuries.”

Rams

Rams’ HC Sean McVay went in-depth about what it has been like for him to become a more defensive-minded coach in the NFL.

“This was something I thought a whole lot about when I first got the job because the one thing I didn’t want is our defensive players or our guys that are specialists or the core special teams players saying, ‘Aw, he’s just the offensive coordinator that’s the head coach,’” McVay said, via “Chalk Talk” conference call. “So the first thing I did was I made sure I’m involved in all three phases, but I know the language and I can speak to them as if I’m one of their coaches on that side of the ball. It shows that you’re invested, it shows that you’re important and I think it also gives you credibility as a coach if you know all three phases of what’s going on. You’re gonna take and allocate more time to the offensive side of the ball, especially if you’re a play-caller. And I don’t think you ever want to lose sight of that identity. But the way you can make sure the players know that, hey, this is very important on defense and in the kicking game is by knowing it – you invest in being able to communicate.

“I thought it was really important for me to be able to communicate to Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey the same that Raheem Morris is or the same way that Brandon Staley did last year. And when you do that, that demonstrates that you do care enough because you can communicate to them in their language and I think it also gives you some more credibility that you have a big-picture knowledge and perspective, while also letting guys lead and do their jobs. I think it’s really powerful to be able to coach all 22 if you will.”

K.J. Wright

Seahawks’ LB Bobby Wagner is still hoping that the team can bring back veteran LB K.J. Wright who remains a free agent this late into the game.

“I’m hoping that everything still works out and we’re able to get him back,” Wagner said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN. “I think he’s a tremendous player, a tremendous person, someone that anyone would love to have on their team. So we’ll see what happens. I’ve had conversations with him. I think he’s kind of waiting for the right opportunity and I know he’ll get it because he deserves it. To have a guy that’s coming off [two] of his best seasons that he’s had, it would be a shame if he didn’t end up on a team that he wanted to be on.”

“Besides his smarts, the way he prepared and definitely the way that he brought people together,” Wagner said. “I think that was the biggest thing was the way that he was the glue and he was the person that anybody can count on. He always took the time to talk to everybody, so he had a relationship with everybody. He was just a guy that you can look to and count on and trust.”

Carroll said that the team is still trying to figure out their roster going forward, and it seems as though he is not sold on Wright returning.

“We’re still working it, figuring out the roster and how it’s going to go,” Carroll said. “Until we get on the field and can see how things are starting to come together, there won’t be major changes in what’s going on because we’re pretty committed at this point. That doesn’t mean that we’re not tuned in to all of the options and the opportunities that are out there, because we are. But K.J. is OK at this point. He’s doing fine. If we get a chance to call on him, we’ll go after it and see if we can put something together.”