NFC Notes: Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, Baker Mayfield

Cardinals

Cardinals LG/C Justin Pugh was asked about the team’s running backs and spoke about RB Eno Benjamin standing out and improving his pass blocking.

“I think a guy to look for is Eno Benjamin,” Pugh said on the Dave Pasch Podcast. “He looked great in minicamp. He’s probably been our best outside zone running back that we’ve had on the roster, even last year.”

“He had to learn how to pass protect,” Pugh added. “And that was really the only thing. You can’t trust a guy to be in the game if you can’t trust him to pick up pass protection and he’s gone night and day from last year to this year, so I think he’s going to have a big jump.”

Rams

Rams assistant HC Thomas Brown is one of the newest arrivals on the “future head coach” lists after interviewing with the Dolphins for their vacancy this offseason and earning a promotion in Los Angeles. Former Rams and current Dolphins RB Sony Michel raved about Brown, who was also a former running back at Georgia and was Michel’s position coach. 

“I’ve been around great coaches; I’ve been coached hard throughout my career and throughout my time playing football,” he said via the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. “But Thomas is one who is still in it. He’s still running drills. He’s not just telling us, ‘Hey, go run this drill.’ He’s showing us how to run the drill full-speed … He’s one of us while also teaching. He’s not just standing there teaching, he’s a part of it, he’s in the action. He’s giving us the best possible look he can as a coach. I think that’s his way of showing us, ‘Hey, I’m here for you guys.’”

Brown was one of the candidates to fill the Rams’ vacancy at offensive coordinator this offseason, which would have made him one of only a handful of minority coaches in that position. Instead, Rams HC Sean McVay elected to shift him from RB coach to TE coach and assistant head coach, involving him more with the passing game. 

“The more exposure that you get to different spots, the more versatile and the better coach you’re going to become,” said McVay. “For me, one of the most valuable things that I ever did was coaching the tight ends.”

Brown is now firmly in the McVay pipeline that has produced a number of NFL head coaches. That doesn’t guarantee anything, as evidenced by Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy‘s struggles to land a head coaching gig despite the success of Kansas City the past few years. But it doesn’t hurt. It gives Brown a chance to get his foot in the door with head coaching interviews and then sell himself from there. 

“I always try to figure out how to add different things to who I am without changing who I am,” he said, “I see Sean do it. He’s the best I’ve been around, by far, in every category. I don’t want to be Sean. I’m not trying to be like Sean, and Sean knows that. I couldn’t if I tried.”

Seahawks

• CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson stood by her reporting that the Seahawks were interested at one point in trading for QB Baker Mayfield and suggests reports to the contrary, are from the team doing damage control.
• She notes the Seahawks still have to move forward with Drew Lock or Geno Smith and don’t want to do anything to suggest they have doubt in that duo.
• Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson also says the Seahawks weren’t players for Mayfield and only would have gotten involved if he had been cut.