TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 21: Duke Johnson #29 of the Cleveland Browns is defended by Kwon Alexander #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a game at Raymond James Stadium on October 21, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a deal with Kwon Alexander, one of the league’s best linebackers that played the 2018 season in Tampa Bay. It’s official. Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the San Francisco 49ers will be signing the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander. He reportedly signed a four-year, $54 million contract, a huge deal in principle for a linebacker. One of USA Today’s top-40 free agent options, Alexander ended the 2018 season with snaps in just six games, missing 10 due to a torn ACL. The linebacker is two years removed from recording a league-high 108 solo tackles. Taking up a chunk of the salary cap for the struggling Niners, was this the right move to make? Ending the 2018 season 4-12, moves were destined to be made for the 49ers, but was this what they needed? What kind of grade do the Niners deserve for this high-profile signing? KWON ALEXANDER LB, San Francisco 49ers B+ At the end of the day, the Niners needed to make moves. They needed to do something to prove that they’re working in the right direction. This was a move that spoke volumes about how the team is willing to spend in order to improve their defense. Per Over The Cap, the 49ers entered the 2019 offseason with the sixth-most cap space available. A team not looking to sign a star quarterback or tight end, the move for Alexander might’ve been exactly what they needed defensively. The 49ers ranked 19th in yards allowed per game and bottom-five in points allowed per game. That said, the Niners, who may not have an elite offense in 2019, can mimic the 2018 Chicago Bears, who thrived due to a stout defense. However, opting to give an inside linebacker around $13.5 million per year might not be exactly what the team needs to gain ground in a competitive NFC West. Alexander’s signing may have ultimately been a solid move for the Niners, but what it didn’t do was significantly close the gap between the Niners and either the Seahawks or Rams, only slightly increasing their postseason chances. Money like that needs to bring in a significant contributor. If Alexander struggles to stay on the field this season like he did last season, the Niners may be looking at one of the worst free agency signings due to the high-value of his contract. The Niners are going all-in this offseason with reports also surfacing that they’re targeting cornerback Pierre Desir and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.<doc-sep>Fooch’s update: The deal reportedly includes $27 million guaranteed. Since we know that won’t be all fully guaranteed, we’ll continue waiting for more numbers to get a better handle on this deal. 49ers intend to sign former Bucs LB Kwon Alexander to a 4-year, $54 million deal that includes $27 million guaranteed, per source. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2019 The San Francisco 49ers appear to have a running mate in place for second-year linebacker Fred Warner. The team is set to sign linebacker Kwon Alexander, per Pro Football Talk. Ian Rapoport is reporting the deal will be four years and worth $54 million. Alexander just wrapped up his rookie contract on a down note, tearing his ACL in Week 7 of the 2018 season. He was cleared to return to jogging in late February, and would be behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon in the rehab process. Alexander is a great run stopper with solid coverage skills (per PFF), but that’s certainly a bold contract to replace the big contract they gave to Malcolm Smith. On a strictly per-year basis, that would be the second highest contract on the team — for the time being. They could pass that if they sign Earl Thomas, but for now, Alexander is the big signing of free agency. The 49ers entered free agency with nearly $66 million in cap space, so that’s certainly not an issue right now. They could trade for Odell Beckham and Dee Ford and still have room to play with if they were going to get particularly aggressive. But even still, that’s a bold decision given the ACL injury.<doc-sep>SANTA CLARA — Add linebacker Kwon Alexander to the 49ers’ risky infatuation with players coming off anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Alexander, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reportedly secured a free agency bonanza Monday and will join Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon in ACL comebacks this season on the 49ers. The 49ers guaranteed $24 million to Alexander in a four-year, $54 million deal, ESPN reported. The 49ers did not confirm the deal, which can’t be formalized until 1 p.m. Wednesday when the new league year opens. Alexander, 24, tore the ACL in his left knee Oct. 21. Once healthy, he figures to line up at inside linebacker next to Fred Warner, a 16-game starter last year as a rookie. Alexander’s contract averages to $13.5 million per year, surpassing the Carolina Panthers’ Luke Kuechly ($12.4 million) as the highest among NFL inside linebackers, per Spotrac.com. One of Alexander’s first acts as a Niner was to join the fans’ outcry for a potential trade of New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. In Twitter parlance, @Kwon tweeted: “Yesssir come on @obj.” Alexander led the NFL with 108 solo tackles in 2016. He was a 2015 fourth-round pick out of LSU and produced over 90 tackles his first three seasons while totaling six interceptions, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a Buc. Simply put, a healthy Alexander has been a speedy play-maker, something the 49ers desperately need after producing only seven takeaways last season. Blessings on Blessings ‼️ — Kwon Alexander (@kwon) March 11, 2019 Out the mud😭‼️ — Kwon Alexander (@kwon) March 11, 2019 One of Alexander’s marquee games with the Buccaneers came as a rookie, when his two takeaways and 11 tackles keyed an overtime win at Atlanta only two days after his brother, Broderick, was shot and killed in their native Alabama. Alexander’s rookie season ended with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. His career in Tampa began under then-coach Lovie Smith, who was a Buccaneers assistant while John Lynch was forging his star-studded career as a safety. Lynch is entering his third year as the 49ers general manager, with more misses than hits in free agency thus far. If there is any franchise is sports that hasn’t shied away from ACL recoveries, it’s the 49ers, especially over the past six drafts in which they’ve selected eight players coming off ACL tears. Defensive tackle Kentavius Street, a fourth-round pick last year, was the most recent ACL draft gamble and he’s set to make his NFL debut this season. Under former general manager Trent Baalke, the 49ers didn’t get favorable results from his seven ACL-comeback picks, those being Tank Carradine, Marcus Lattimore, Brandon Thomas, Keith Reaser, Trey Millard, DeAndre Smelter and Will Redmond. The 49ers’ fortunes last season took a turn for the worse when McKinnon tore his ACL a week before the opener and Garoppolo followed suit in Week 3. Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Reuben Foster packed plenty of star power into the 49ers linebacker position the past decade. They’re all gone, and Bowman spent last season unemployed after his career got derailed by an ACL tear five years earlier. Related Articles Have 49ers been priced out of a possible Julio Jones trade? ESPN report suggests steep cost Inside the 49ers: Kittle’s comeback, Shanahan’s doodling, Warner’s extension, Garoppolo’s radio wars Pioneering coach Katie Sowers finds new spot in NFL after leaving 49ers’ staff Fred Warner ‘obviously wants to be a Niner for life’ as contract talks loom How 49ers’ running back stable is impacted by Jeff Wilson’s knee surgery Now the 49ers are hoping Alexander can rally and revive that position next to Warner, who showed flashes last season as a rookie starter. While Alexander rehabilitates his injury, the 49ers can turn to Elijah Lee, Brock Coyle and Malcolm Smith, the latter of whom reportedly agreed to a reduced salary after two injury-plagued seasons.<doc-sep>
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Justin Evans #21 and Kwon Alexander #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 19, 2017 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) By signing Kwon Alexander to a lucrative contract, the San Francisco 49ers have secured their long-term future at linebacker. Kwon Alexander will soon be a member of the San Francisco 49ers, who did not wait long to make their first splash of free agency. According to multiple reports, the linebacker will sign a four-year, $54 million deal with the 49ers, with $27 million guaranteed, after spending four seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaeneers. On the surface, it is a huge deal for Alexander — though it will likely be front-loaded and contain outs for the Niners — and it is one that will be heavily scrutinized. Alexander is coming off a torn ACL last season and this 49ers regime has swung and missed on high-price free agents already in two years at the helm. It is not unreasonable to be skeptical of this signing, Alexander has had issues with missed tackles since entering the NFL, racking up 70 between 2015 and 2017, and he has only completed a full 16-game season once as a pro. Missed tackles on defense 2015-2017: 1. Kwon Alexander 70 2. Telvin Smith 64 3. Ryan Shazier 53#49ers — Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) March 11, 2019 However, he was tied-seventh in run-stop rate in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with former 49er Reuben Foster leading the way in that metric as a rookie. Alexander’s athleticism should also be a significant help in pass coverage and his playmaking ability (22 pass deflections, six interceptions, six forced fumbles) is likely to prove extremely valuable to a team that forced only seven turnovers in 2018. PFF run-stop rate leaders in 2017, Kwon Alexander’s last fully healthy season: 1. Reuben Foster – 11.4% 2. Luke Kuechly – 11.3% 3. Jake Ryan – 11.2% 4. Lavonte David – 11.2% 5. Mark Barron – 10.5% 6. Wesley Woodyard – 10.2% T7. Kwon Alexander – 10% T7. Bobby Wagner – 10% — David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 11, 2019 It may frustrate 49er fans that San Francisco is spending big money on a linebacker having used a first-round pick on Foster two years ago, only to see him released following multiple arrests. However, in Alexander they are getting a player who received widespread praise from his Bucs teammates upon news of the deal and one who was described as “the heart and soul” of the team by Cameron Brate after his ACL tear, per the Tampa Bay Times. Remarks like that speak to Alexander’s leadership and his presence in the locker room and, at just 24, his arrival means the Niners now have a pair of young, athletic and mature linebackers in the middle of the field after Fred Warner enjoyed an outstanding rookie year. Warner, just 22, stepped up and rose to the challenge of being the 49ers’ MIKE linebacker, adapting to having to relay calls to the defense and racking up 124 combined tackles while also logging six passes defensed. With both players under the age of 25, the hope will be that Warner continues his upward trajectory and Alexander — who will slot in next to him at WILL – returns to his best post-injury and they form an linebacking partnership that could well last for the next decade. Alexander will have his doubters, but his is a signing that potentially secures San Francisco’s future at linebacker. In Alexander and Warner, they have two dynamic young players that fit the mould of the modern-day linebacker and excel in coverage. Providing they make the most of their talent, the 49ers shouldn’t be spending significant capital to bring in a linebacker for a long time. For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.