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:
— Jeff Deeney (jeffdeeney on Threads) (@PFF_Jeff) March 11, 2019
1. Kwon Alexander 70
2. Telvin Smith 64
3. Ryan Shazier 53#49ers
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:
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) March 11, 2019
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%
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.
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