NFC Notes: Christian McCaffrey, Zach Charbonnet, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers 

Now that he will have the chance to get in a full offseason with HC Kyle Shanahan‘s offense, 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is expecting to improve as a player and have a much better understanding of the playbook before next season.

“I’m definitely excited,” McCaffrey said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “It’s a great fit for me. It’s a great fit for, really, any skill player. It’s a great fit for O-linemen, too. I mean, the scheme is so fun. It’s sustainable. It’s worked forever. And I am going to say you still have to execute it, but it’s a lot of fun being able to be surrounded by guys like George Kittle and Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, Jauan Jennings. There’s a great backfield. Elijah Mitchell, who’s a great back, Jordan Mason, Ty-Davis Price, all these guys. Kyle Juszczyk, who’s one of the best guys I’ve been around. All these guys, man, and then add that defense on top of it, and then add the staff that we have. It’s exciting. It really is exciting. And I feel like as a football nerd, and as a fan of the game, I have fun going into work every day just learning so much.”

“It is nice being able to have an offseason under my belt where I can get comfortable with the details and the things beyond the X’s and O’s that I’m not learning game plan to game plan,” McCaffrey concluded.

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay said he feels “better” about the state of their receivers group with Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Puka Nacua, Lance McCutcheon, Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson after spring OTAs.

“I think I feel better about it,” McVay said, via ProFootballTalk. “It’ll be good to be able to get Cooper back rolling. I think guys have all taken steps in the right direction. I think Van [Jefferon’s] had a really good offseason. I think Tutu Atwell has been outstanding. He’s been a real bright spot, very comfortable. You can see just the comfort in playing a lot of snaps last year, gaining some confidence and then being able to move around. That’ll be really valuable. I love what I’ve seen from [rookie] Puka Nacua. Lance McCutcheon has shown really well and then Tyler [Johnson] and Demarcus [Robinson] made some plays out here today… I’ve seen really good bright spots from a lot of the skill positions in general offensively.”

McVay wants to figure out their receivers group and also identify their best five offensive linemen combination. 

“Got to continue to be able to figure out, all right, what’s going to be our best five combination up front? You can see there’s been just tangible evidence of improvement every single day. Let’s continue to be in the moment. Let’s enjoy it.”

Seahawks

The Seahawks won’t truly get a feel for how ready second-round RB Zach Charbonnet is to contribute until the pads come on during training camp. Physicality is an important part of playing the position and physicality is heavily regulated by teams during OTAs. But Charbonnet has turned some heads already with his professional approach. 

“You get that true pro feel from the guy right away,” Seahawks OC Shane Waldron said via ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “He’s really serious about his business, and then you notice his size and speed at running back. I know you can’t tell a whole lot about what’s going to happen when the pads go on when we’re out here right now, but you do get the feel where he’s playing at a high tempo. He’s a big back, he’s got a toughness about him, and he’s really gathering all of the information and picking up the offense quickly.”