NFC Notes: Matthew Stafford, Christian McCaffrey, 49ers, Rams

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49ers Jeremy Fowler surveyed anonymous executives about the league’s running back situation and one NFC exec said the following of RB Christian McCaffrey : “He’s declined some — I think you will see more juice if he doesn’t have to be the focal point of both the run and pass game. But he’s such an elite overall player with versatility who takes care of himself that he can be a top guy for at least one more year.” Fowler compiled a top-ten tight end list and polled anonymous league executives who ranked TE George Kittle in the top ten: “Injuries and durability are becoming a concern, but when he’s healthy, he’s still the most versatile, dominant, complete tight end,” an NFC executive said. “He’s still the gold standard for blocking, running, and catching.” Fowler asked anonymous execs around the league to rank the top offensive tackles in the game heading into 2026, and LT Trent Williams was a topic of debate: “At this stage, it takes him a while to get going early in the season, but he’s still producing at a high level,” an NFL coordinator said. “I don’t see a lot of drop-off — he still operates without the need for any help in pass protection, he still mauls people, he’s still got light feet for his size, still has the capacity to dominate.” Rams The Athletic’s Nate Atkins writes that if the Rams do indeed lure DT Aaron Donald out of retirement to team up with DE Myles Garrett , it will most likely eat into DT Braden Fiske ‘s snaps the most. However, that could play to Fiske’s strengths, and he’d still have a role. Atkins highlights Rams DT Kobie Turner as a stellar candidate for a long-term extension to keep him in Los Angeles. Conversely, he thinks it’s very unlikely the Rams will be able to keep OLB Byron Young around after his breakout in 2025. Both are entering contract years. Rams LB Omar Speights could see his snaps reduced this year, per Atkins, as the team leans into more dime packages to take advantage of their safety depth, specifically players like Kamren Curl . He also highlights veteran LB Grant Stuard as an under-the-radar addition to watch. At cornerback, Atkins says new Rams CB Trent McDuffie will primarily be an outside cornerback, but there will be snaps available when he moves to the slot in certain packages. In those scenarios, Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes will likely take over for him on the boundary. Rams Sportsboom’s Jason La Canfora notes that Rams QB Matthew Stafford could still have multiple years ahead of him in Los Angeles, despite the team’s selection of first-round QB Ty Simpson . La Canfora reports that Stafford has avoided the back issues that cropped up last summer, which were serious enough that the Rams were bracing for him to miss time. While Stafford has said he’s taking things year to year at this point, La Canfora notes there have been hints that he’s thinking about playing into his 40s like other top quarterbacks. La Canfora concludes that the bottom line is Rams HC Sean McVay wants Stafford as his starter as long as Stafford wants to be there and is still performing at a high level, citing sources: “The amount of respect we have for (Stafford) goes beyond words.” The post NFC Notes: Matthew Stafford, Christian McCaffrey, 49ers, Rams appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co .