Grading 49ers’ 2019 offseason through opening of NFL free agency

The 49ers addressed two pressing needs by grabbing Kwon Alexander and Dee Ford, also preventing another one by tagging Robbie Gould.

Some of the contractual numbers and means by which San Francisco’s cap space was used can and should be called into question, which would easily negate any sort of A-grade here. Especially when one factors in the money used on Alexander’s contract (arguably Gould’s, too) could have been used on a player like Earl Thomas.

Missing out on Thomas, possibly not being interested in him altogether, is pretty questionable. Remember, the Niners started seven different safeties in 2018 and don’t seem to have any clear-cut starters penciled in for the upcoming season, particularly at free safety.

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That’s the biggest knock down on John Lynch and Co.’s overall efforts, however, and it’s a pretty big one. Alexander’s risk factors also knock things down a bit, although the contract numbers help it from being too bad a move.

There’s the proverbial “elephant in the room,” though — whether or not the 49ers should have been more active in trading for either Antonio Brown or Odell Beckham Jr.

Surely, the Niners would like to upgrade this group, especially after no San Francisco wideout reached 500 receiving yards in 2018. That said, one might recall how Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh used to refer to elite-level pass catchers as the “finishing touch” of a well-constructed roster.

Make of that what you wish, but it’s hard to deny the 49ers could have used the services of a player like Brown or Beckham. That factors into the slightly below-average grade for San Francisco so far.

What moves come next?