49ers

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw has bad blood with Broncos HC Sean Payton after his tenure in Denver ended the way it did.

“I told him to get the f—k off the field,” Greenlaw said, via PFT. “That’s it: ‘Get the f—k off the field.’ The disrespect. He couldn’t be man to man and call my phone and say, ‘We’re going to cut you.’”

• The 49ers signed WR Brandin Cooks to a one-year, $2 million contract that includes a $1.5 million base salary, $11,764 per-game active roster bonuses, and $250,000 incentives for reaching 35 receptions and 500 receiving yards. (Spotrac)

Cardinals

Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love spoke at length about his workload management and again denied that his preseason ankle injury was still bothering him.

“Not really bothering me,” Love replied, via Pro Football Talk. “Kind of just managing because, you know, we got a long season. Coaches don’t want to overload me, so not necessarily, like, bothering me to the point where I can’t play, because I can go out there and play regardless of whether it’s bothering me, like, I gotta go out there and put something on my opportunity to put us in the best position to have success, but it . . . it was all right. It was all right.”

“It’s frustrating because, you know, I’m the type of guy that’s going to, you know, do anything for my team to have success,” Love continued. “Like, so I’m gonna be out there despite, you know, how I’m feeling, but my coaches care about me. They care about everybody on this team. So they’re not gonna put you out there if you’re not in the best position to go out there and, you know, do what you need to do and be yourself. So it’s frustrating for me personally. I’m not frustrated with the coaches. I’m really frustrated with myself because, you know, like, I just want to be good. I want to be 100 percent, you know, and I want to go out there and do what I need to do. I’m not saying I’m not 100 percent, but, like, I’m not where I want to be. Like, I’m not able to go out there and do spectacular plays every single time, or do stuff like that. So I’m just frustrated with myself, not with the coaches, but they’re doing a great job of managing me.”

Love also seemed to be hinting that he was already tired just four games into the season.

“No, it’s not really just my ankle,” Love said. “It’s more of just the whole thing. It’s been a long year for me. Like, [my] body sometimes is down. Somebody [is] sometimes tired. So, like, it’s just managing those things. Like, coaches know that. Like, this is probably gonna be the longest year of my life. You know, and I just want to manage that workload. So today, you know, just obviously making sure to keep an eye on me, managing me. But I didn’t go out there and hurt anything or anything like that. It’s just, you know, they’re doing what they need to do to keep me up so that I can finish the season…”Then again, like I say, like they even put people in the best position have success,” Love said. “You know, me going out there, um, feeling like how I feel, like, you know, I would probably just hamper the team if I’m going out there and I’m not feeling like myself. So why not put somebody else out there? It’s, you know, that’s playing at a better, just physical, like, physically they’re playing better. And I accept that, you know. Like, I’m not gonna go out there and I’m honest with my coaches. Like, they asked me, ‘Can you go out there and do this, do this, and that?’ And I’d be like, ‘I feel pretty good, but I think Tyler can, or Bam [Knight] can do — can exert themselves a little bit more.”

Rams

Rams HC Sean McVay noted that the team will continue to monitor and protect the health of DL Aaron Donald as he accumulates wear and tear throughout the season.

“Just has some soreness there [in his back], just working through it,” said McVay, via RamsWire.com. “Like what I’ve always talked to you guys about, I think our job as coaches is to put our players in positions to have successful outcomes. He’s as tough as it gets, [but] just not feeling good enough. I think it would be irresponsible on my part, and obviously talking with [Senior Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance] Reggie [Scott] to ask him.He would do it and he could probably go be productive, but part of our job is to protect these tough dudes like him from themselves and that’s what went into the decision. You guys know him, he’s working as hard as he can to get himself feeling as good as possible. We’re hopeful and optimistic that good days are ahead.”

“We have to protect him from himself,” McVay added. “This guy will do everything and that much more. He represents everything that’s right about… when we’ve been doing things the way that we want to. I understand the question, but Aaron is certainly an exception and I think we would all probably be in agreement on that.”

McVay also said he expects Donald to return this week: “That’s the direction it looks like it’s trending in.” (PFT)