49ers

49ers DE Nick Bosa believes he excelled in run defense in 2023 but acknowledges a decrease in his pass rushing performance.

“I think I played the run probably the best I have in my career,” Bosa said, as reported by Eric Branch of the SF Chronicle. “As far as pass rush, I don’t think I had my best year. But I think I’ve learned a lot in the past couple of games that I can continue to apply.”

Bosa attributes his development setback in pass rushing to missing the 49ers’ offseason program last year due to contract negotiations.

“I think (the contract affected me), mentally and performance-wise, not having practice,” Bosa explained. “I think my hands kind of got going once I started using them a lot. It kind of takes time to get the timing down, and that’s the biggest thing with practice. And, yeah, just the stress of having that looming and the pressure initially once you get (the contract). I kind of worked through all that later in the year. And I started to feel better. And I think I was playing my best ball towards the end.”

Bosa is optimistic that a full training camp will be beneficial for his performance.

“I think we had a great group this year,” Bosa expressed. “I think having full camps with people that will be here the whole year [will help].”

• The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami reports that the 49ers are nearing the hiring of a defensive coordinator, with a potential announcement on the horizon.

Rams

• Rams HC Sean McVay is one of two new members of the NFL Competition Committee, as announced by NFL Football Operations. The committee focuses on reviewing rule changes, player safety, officiating, and the increased involvement of technology.
• Rams C Coleman Shelton has the option to void the final year of his contract and become a free agent this offseason. HC Sean McVay has indicated a desire to retain Shelton, stating: “We would really like to get him back. I would imagine that is the direction that they would potentially go. We are proactively trying to be able to get that taken care of. He is a guy we want to move forward with.” (Jourdan Rodrigue)
• McVay mentioned that the team will reach out to QB Stetson Bennett “at the appropriate time.” They want to determine if bringing Bennett back would be beneficial for him and the team. (Gary Klein)

Seahawks

• According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the Seahawks have appointed former Bears DL coach Justin Hinds as their new DL coach.
• The Seahawks have hired Jeff Howard as their defensive backs coach. Howard previously coached linebackers for the Chargers and has experience coaching secondary positions in Cleveland and Minnesota. (Tom Pelissero)