NFC Notes: Brock Purdy, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

49ers QB Brock Purdy is confident he will be fine to play in Week 17 after suffering a stinger in their previous game. 

“No, it’s been good,” Purdy said, via 49ersWebZone. “Just got a lot of treatment done on it and everything. Sort of just work out the soreness within the whole shoulder area, trap area. But it feels good, so I’ll be good for this game.”

Rams

The Rams were constricted in terms of the moves they could make this offseason because of all the dead money they were eating from years of trying to maximize their Super Bowl window. They had to operate on a shoestring budget but were still able to find a few key players. So far the best addition has been G Kevin Dotson, who was acquired via trade from the Steelers and has re-solidified the Rams’ offensive line. 

“You felt you had four out of the five pieces up front,” Rams pro scouting exec Matt Waugh said via the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, “and that one spot, that right guard spot was maybe kind of a question mark (entering camp). …

“I think 2020 was my first year doing offensive line, and that was Kevin’s rookie season. Through the non-advance, you always have first- and second-year players who pop out to you. I can still remember watching him versus like, Fletcher Cox. Sheldon Richardson. … I texted John, ‘Man, Pittsburgh has this rookie guard who is pretty good.’ … kind of shows you the life span (of the process).”

Seahawks

Seahawks first-round WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has had some big games recently, coming up with six catches for 61 yards in a win over the Titans. He seems to be making an impact at the right time and both HC Pete Carroll and QB Geno Smith have recognized it.

“What I’m seeing is Jaxon really emerging,” Carroll said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “He’s really coming to life, and he’s really coming through. He’s running routes really well, makes catches (securely), turns the transition into running really quickly. He’s really fitting in. It’s just one element in particular that adds and makes everybody else come to life, too. Now you have to cover everybody.”

“He certainly can run routes outside, inside, it doesn’t matter. He can do everything,” Carroll adds. “He’s such a come-through kid. We can’t get enough of it. It’s really nice. That emergence makes it look like we have more of a spread of the ball going around.”

“He’s getting better every single week,” Smith noted. “I love the way that he’s preparing in practice. He’s working extremely hard in practice. He’s getting better every single day in practice. He’s really getting more comfortable in the offense, just learning his assignments, the routes, the depths, all the things that we talked about him being great at. Obviously, he’s a natural receiver when it comes to catching the football and making plays. “I think the way that those guys are feeding off one another, the way that each guy steps up in different areas, it just makes our offense that much better.”