49ers
49ers DC Robert Saleh, who was reportedly one of the favorites for the Browns’ head-coaching job, says he’s not disappointed that they ultimately hired Kevin Stefanski.
“There’s no disappointment,” Saleh said after Thursday’s practice, via Scott Bair of NBC Bay Area. “I’m very grateful to the Browns for making me part of [their coaching search]. I’m a really big fan of Jimmy Haslam and what he did and what they’re going to do. They hired the right guy and I think they’re going to do something special. I’m excited to see them progress.”
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan expressed excitement that Saleh will be remaining on his staff next season.
“It’s like a backhanded compliment, right?” Saleh said, laughing. “No, Kyle has always been a big supporter. He really supports his staff and he is not one to look at a coach and say, ‘I have to get rid of this dude.’ His first instinct is to make you better and help you get better. To understand Kyle and to work with Kyle is really gift that a lot of people should have once in their lives. He strives to make people better, and I think that’s what makes this organization tick. Everybody in this organization wants to get better, and that’s why Kyle is so invested in all of his coaches. I do believe him when he says he’s happy, because he has invested in me, so I take that as a compliment.”
- 49ers DE Dee Ford said of his hamstring: “I feel good. I felt good last week. I feel good this week.” (Eric Branch)
Cardinals
The Cardinals have some notable offensive line free agents this offseason in LT D.J. Humphries and C A.Q. Shipley, but veteran G Justin Pugh is hoping they’ll be able to keep the unit together.
“This has been the most fun I’ve had playing football,” Pugh said, via AZCardinals.com. “This group of guys has been the best group of guys I’ve been around. I’m hoping we can keep this group together.”
Humphries could be in line for a big payday, but he says he has really enjoyed his time with the Cardinals and his teammates.
“We don’t have any (expletives), nobody who wants to be lazy and don’t want to do nothing,” Humphries said. “We’ve got a bunch of rule-following cats that want to be good and are eager to be good every day. And we’ve got a coach who wants to coach the (expletive) out of us.
“It goes hand-in-hand. They found the right guys to put into the room and motivate each other, and they kept the right guys. It speaks to the identity we want to be. I’m super excited at how it folded together. It’s amazing. Like I was telling the boys the other day, this is definitely my favorite group since I’ve been in the league.”
Seahawks
- Bruce Feldman reports that Seahawks assistant OL coach Brennan Carroll has emerged as a candidate for the head-coaching job at Hawaii.
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