NFL free agency: Winners and losers from Day 1

LOSERS: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers could easily become winners if their reported interest in edge rusher Dee Ford, who could be a missing piece on a defense that already boasts DeForest Buckner as a pass-rushing terror, materializes into a bargain-bin trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

For now, however, the 49ers are losers, and it hinges on their signing of an inside linebacker in Kwon Alexander. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter has never been short on talent, but he’s one of the most frustratingly inconsistent players at the position.

Since joining the NFL in 2015 as a promising sleeper pick out of LSU in the fourth round, Alexander hasn’t taken significant strides forward. He’s a huge liability in coverage and misses tackles left and right. Now, Alexander is a useful player in run support and is capable of racking up stats as a playmaking linebacker, but he comes with a huge “buyer beware” tag.

However, the 49ers weren’t scared, inking Alexander, who didn’t seem to receive much interest from Bruce Arians’s Buccaneers this offseason, to a four-year deal worth $54 million, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

That is absolutely massive money for a player with question marks, including a torn ACL and other past injury woes. It’s a gamble that could pay off for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s increasingly bullish Niners, who have some interest in Le’Veon Bell despite a stacked trio of running backs, but it may have been unwise to make Alexander the highest-paid player at the position. At 25, Alexander has potential, but it’s a big risk for a player who doesn’t play a premium position and may not be better than future inside linebacker partner Fred Warner.