NFC Notes: Robert Saleh, Mac Jones, Grey Zabel, 49ers, Seahawks

49ers

49ers DC Robert Saleh said he’s “indebted” to the organization after sticking with him through a rough couple of seasons as the defensive coordinator and ultimately welcoming him back after a failed head coaching stint with the Jets.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for this organization,” Saleh said, via ESPN. “If you think about those first two years as the coordinator in ’17 and ’18, it wasn’t easy, and it could have been very easy for them to move on for me. I’m indebted to this organization, to those men for the rest of my life. They stuck with me, and we made it happen. We did what we needed to do, and the rest is history. I’m excited about the opportunity to get a chance to do it again with them.”

Saleh added that he’s bringing a lot of the same principles back to the Bay Area while also adding in new wrinkles to the defense.

“You’re always trying to stay two years ahead of offense,” Saleh said. “When we went to the Jets, there was a lot of different things that we started to do, and even now while we have some things from the Jets, there’s stuff that has evolved over the course of the last four years here, and obviously with the league that there’s stuff happening. Over this offseason, a lot of really cool concepts, a lot of really cool things. Some things are the same, some things are the same from the Jets, some things are meshed, some things are coming in that’s new. … A lot of it may seem similar but there’s a lot of nuances that makes a difference.”

49ers

49ers OC Klint Kubiak believes that former Patriots QB Mac Jones can still be an NFL starter.

“Going back to college, we obviously studied Mac coming out and we thought very highly of him and his skillset as a thrower and the things he did in college,” Kubiak said Friday, via Grant Cohn of SI.com. “And then obviously, as a rookie, what he did in the NFL was very impressive. Mac’s a really good thrower. He stands in the pocket, he’s a strong guy and he’s really smart. And so he’s got a lot of traits that we like for a starting quarterback. And his career has kind of gone up and down a little bit the past couple years, but we saw the same things in Jacksonville that we loved about him as a college prospect, and that really excites us. And he’s doing a great job. And I think Mac’s capable of being a starter in this league. And so he’s going to help us if he needs to.”

Seahawks

Seattle believes first-round OL Grey Zabel is capable of playing every position on the offensive line.

“Where do we put his magnet?” Seahawks vice president of player personnel Trent Kirchner said, via NY Times. “Because he could really be all three.”

Seahawks senior college scouting coordinator Kirk Parrish said that Zabel showed leadership traits that aren’t necessarily recognized by watching game film.

“Seeing him come off to the sidelines between series and just how he handled his business on the bench and people kind of gravitate to him, that stuff you maybe don’t pick up if you’re way high in a press box,” Parrish said. “Grey was the guy when the line was together, you can just feel like he’s the leader of the group, (having) the confidence and keeping everybody calm.”

Zabel added that he’s capable and comfortable with playing every single position along the offensive line.

“I’ve been able to develop an appreciation for every single spot up front,” Zabel says. “Maybe you play left tackle and can’t appreciate how hard it is for that center to back-block on a 2i or 3-tech. Or maybe you’re a center, and you don’t appreciate a guard being the first guy on a backside double. I really have an appreciation for everyone’s job. And that’s really been an eye-opener for me. … When teams asked me what position I want to play, I just say ‘offensive line.’ All that matters is winning. So, whatever I can do to be in the betterment of the team is what I’m going to do.”