NFC Notes: Cardinals, 49ers, Rams

Cardinals

• Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury noted the backup job is up for grabs between QBs Brett Hundley and Chris Streveler. (Darren Urban)
• Hundley was the primary backup last season, while Arizona signed Streveler to a deal this year after he spent the past few seasons as a dual-threat quarterback in the CFL. 

49ers

49ers’ RB Jerick McKinnon is just under two weeks away from finally making his debut in San Francisco. A torn ACL during camp two years ago and a second surgery to fix the healing process last year have kept McKinnon from showing why the team made him such a priority as a free agent. It would be understandable if he was nervous but McKinnon is simply excited. 

“It’s been a long time coming so I’m just ready to get this thing started,” McKinnon said via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “I’ve been putting myself in game-time situations since Day One. I’m not nervous and have no butterflies going into Week One. Just more anxious. All the work I’ve put in the last two years to get back from that, I’m ready to go. I’m not really worried about anything that will come up. I’m confident in myself and confident in my coaches that they’ll game plan and have us ready.”

McKinnon says he feels completely healthy, finally, and has been happy with the work he’s done with San Francisco’s training staff.

“Shoot, I feel good. The last two camps, I didn’t make it through, so to make it through this one, it definitely feels good,” McKinnon said. “The whole way through has been a smooth process and the training staff has been working on little things to keep up my body maintenance.” 

• Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle says training camp did not provide enough opportunities to see if starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo has improved during the offseason. 
• 49ers’ LB Dre Greenlaw sustained a concussion during practice and has entered the league’s concussion protocol. (Matt Maiocco)

Rams

Rams RT Rob Havenstein struggled through a knee injury for much of last season and ended up being able to start just nine games for Los Angeles. Havenstein wasn’t the only Rams lineman to miss time and that’s a major point of emphasis for the unit as a whole going into 2020. 

“Obviously the more time that you get with a person you’re going to be playing with, or the couple of people you’re going to be playing with, you’re going to have more success,” Havenstein said via SI.com’s Eric Williams.

• McVay said the team didn’t have any interest in adding former Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette: “He’s a good player, but we feel good about the guys we have in-house. We’re not looking at anybody externally. I’ve been very pleased with our backs.” (Williams)
• Rams LBs Kenny Young and Troy Reeder are next up at linebacker following Travin Howard‘s season-ending knee injury. McVay is fine with the team’s depth at the position for now (Williams)