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San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are facing a difficult decision with inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman. The coldest path forward could be the right one, which is often the case with aging, expensive veterans.

The 29-year-old Bowman should theoretically still have at least a few prime years left, but he may never again play at an All-Pro level after suffering two major injuries over just the past three years. He tore the ACL, PCL and MCL in his left knee during the 2014 NFC Championship game, causing him to miss the entire 2014 regular season, and he tore his Achilles in 2016.

Either of those injuries can zap a linebacker like Bowman of his trademark athleticism and sideline-to-sideline speed. Bowman had to recover from both, and as Grant Cohn of the Press Democrat recently noted, blocking tight end Garrett Celek was beating him in coverage during OTAs.

The 49ers drafted Reuben Foster, Bowman's eventual replacement, in the first round. For better or worse, it seems the Foster era is quickly arriving as Bowman fades away.

Seattle Seahawks: The order of the Seahawks' running back depth chart always deserves attention.

Is Eddie Lacy getting swole and shedding pounds through his latest P90X challenge? Is Thomas Rawls' body still in one piece after he missed seven games in 2016 and averaged only 3.2 yards per carry? And can C.J. Prosise stay on the field after appearing in just six games as a rookie?

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals desperately need the 2015 version of wide receiver John Brown to come back. That's when the blazing deep threat finished with 1,003 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches in his second NFL season. However, a concussion and his battle with sickle cell trait derailed his third year.

The Cardinals need a healthy and effective Brown back immediately, because beyond him, there are only questions on their wide receiver depth chart. Michael Floyd is gone, and although the soon-to-be 34-year-old Larry Fitzgerald still remains a solid contributor, he's not a deep target for Bruce Arians' high-octane passing offense.

Los Angeles Rams: Coaches and general managers often stubbornly cling to high draft picks and keep trotting them out even as they struggle. But Jeff Fisher is long gone in Los Angeles, and new Rams head coach Sean McVay doesn't need to care about Goff's draft status. McVay should only care about winning games and making sure he doesn't fizzle out like so many Rams head coaches before him.

That's why his recent lukewarm endorsement of Goff as the Rams' starting quarterback should have raised eyebrows. He still called Goff the starter, but he left the door open for someone else to supplant the former No. 1 overall pick.

"Jared's done a nice job of getting better, but you always want to make sure you're playing the guy that you feel like gives you the best ability to win football games," he told reporters at OTAs. "Right now, Jared is the starter."

It's hard to believe Sean Mannion could overtake Goff as the starter, but then again, the same held true when McVay was with Washington. The odds of Kirk Cousins permanently pushing aside Robert Griffin III seemed low at one point, but that's exactly what came to fruition.