NFC Notes: 49ers, Cowboys, Redskins, Vikings

It doesn’t appear that new 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is ready to change his uptempo offensive ways. During the team period at OTAs on Wednesday, the 49ers ran 24 plays in an eight-minute span, good for one snap every 20 seconds, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). As noted by Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk, Kelly’s taxing, fast-paced attack eventually wore out its welcome with some of his Eagles players during his three-season tenure in Philadelphia.

Here’s more on San Francisco and a few of its NFC counterparts:

  • One of Kelly’s players, safety Eric Reid, said Wednesday he’d like to sign a contract extension to remain with the 49ers for the long haul (link via Maiocco). San Francisco already has control over Reid through 2017, having picked up his fifth-year option earlier this month. General manager Trent Baalke stated in April that he’d be open to inking the 2013 first-rounder to an extension, though that was before the fifth-year option decision. The 24-year-old Reid has been a full-time starter for the 49ers since entering the league and has a Pro Bowl nod under his belt. He failed to record an interception last season, however, after piling up a combined seven during his initial two campaigns.
  • The Cowboys seem content with Kellen Moore serving as Tony Romo‘s primary backup this year, per head coach Jason Garrett (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). “We just feel like Kellen has earned the right to compete for the No. 2 spot, and that’s what he’s doing,” said Garrett. In his first pro action last season, the 26-year-old Moore – a former Lion – appeared in three games, made two starts, and threw four touchdowns against six interceptions. It’s worth noting that the Cowboys visited with veteran passer Matt Moore earlier this offseason before he re-signed with Miami and also selected Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
  • Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post wonders where rookie inside linebacker Su’a Cravens will fit in the Redskins‘ defense. Listed as a safety coming out of USC, the Redskins used Cravens at inside linebacker during rookie minicamp. Going forward, it’s possible that Cravens can be used at linebacker, safety, or even nickel cornerback if necessary. Cravens’ label of “moneybacker” helped him vault up the boards in April, leading to his second-round selection in the draft.
  • Second-year Vikings defensive tackle B.J. Dubose tore his ACL during OTAs on Wednesday and will miss the 2016 season, according to Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Dubose, a sixth-round pick from Louisville, hasn’t yet appeared in an NFL game.
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com about the Lions‘ perceived lack of change at the running back position. While the Lions did not make a major splash, they did add veteran Stevan Ridley in free agency and Dwayne Washington in the draft. Washington, Twentyman writes, is a no-nonsense tailback who boasts big-play potential thanks to his size and speed. Those two backs will support incumbent starter Ameer Abdullah and pass-catching specialist Theo Riddick.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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