NFC Notes: Geno Smith, Kyren Williams, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks

49ers

• 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley loves the versatility of fourth-round S Malik Mustapha: “I think he’s proven to be trustworthy. I think he’s really learned the scheme quickly, which I think gives you a chance to move to another role. You have to know the defense before you can start to move around. I think he’s done a really good job at safety showing he can command the back end of the defense. I think he’s shown that he can play in the deep part of the field, that he’s a good tackler, and now he just needs time on task. As you narrow your roster down, you can really see how you want to use these guys.” (David Lombardi)
• San Francisco WR Brandon Aiyuk is in the building on Tuesday and HC Kyle Shanahan said there’s still a way they can get a deal done to keep him with the 49ers. (Nick Wagoner)
• Shanahan on the situation with Aiyuk: “It’s been at this point for a little bit, so nothing really new to me. I mean you’re always disappointed when you can’t keep hold of all your players or it’s not going exactly right. I don’t like losing anybody, so that’s why I’m hoping it does work out here, but right now we don’t have that solved yet. So, I hope it does.” (Wagoner)
• 49ers WR coach Leonard Hankerson has been impressed with how Aiyuk is handling the contract situation: “He’s been doing awesome. He’s been coming to meetings, he is looking at the film (and)… it’s been good just having him around. We didn’t get a chance to have him around at OTAs and now that he is here, it is all good having a full group and with him being there. Him and the guys, they still communicate, so it’s been good.” (Nick Wagoner)
• 49ers DE Nick Bosa on the impact of trading Aiyuk: “It would be huge. I trust John and Kyle, but he’s a very tough player to replace.” (Matt Barrows)
• Shanahan added first-round WR Ricky Pearsall suffered a shoulder injury during practice, the same injury he dealt with during OTAs. (Eric Branch)

Rams

Despite the tremendous success of RB Kyren Williams last season, the Rams added third-round RB Blake Corum in the draft. Williams was unsure of the pick at first but realizes their lethal depth with Corum on the team. 

“At first I was worried about it, but then I had to think about it,” Williams said, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. “That competitive spirit in me had to get back and be like, ‘Man, they’re trying to help the team out.’ Because I missed some games last year and those games that I did miss, the run game, it wasn’t always there.”

“I’m excited for it because the type of caliber running back that [Corum] is, he’s going to be able to, if I’m not there, he’s going to be able to do it. And so I’m excited for what he has in store and I’m excited that we’re both teammates because we’re both going to be able to complement each other.”

Seahawks

Seahawks QB Geno Smith doesn’t need the fact that this is the final year of his contract to include guaranteed money to be a motivating factor. Smith learned a long time ago the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” business. 

“The main thing is nothing is to be taken for granted,” Smith said via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “It’s a year-to-year league and you have to perform. The thing I know is you’ve got to win.”

Smith added he’s loving what he’s seeing from new OC Ryan Grubb and his offense so far. He thinks the Seahawks are poised for a big season. 

“The key is for the quarterback to be in control — that’s what I love about it,” Smith said. “[Grubb] gives us complete control. I would say, picture Peyton Manning, what he did in his career, lining up, looking at the defense, trying to figure it out. Obviously, they are going to disguise, and we have ways to go about handling that. Just trying to figure out what the defense is, always get into the best play. There’s always a solution.”

Smith also wants to make defenses pay with his legs more often in 2024 to try and open up other parts of the field for the offense. 

“Last year, really midway through the season, I felt I could have used my legs a little bit more,” he said. “That’s something I want to continue to do. I’m still very athletic. I play within the pocket, that’s the base of my game, but I think I could add an extra element to what defenses have to account for if I get a couple extra first downs or a couple of extra touchdowns.”

• Graziano mentions Seahawks RT Abraham Lucas might need most of the preseason to recover from last year’s knee injury but the team still expects him to play in Week 1.