3 burning questions for 49ers linebackers in 2020
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Will Dre Greenlaw eventually push Kwon Alexander off 49ers roster?
Having three near-elite starting-caliber linebackers is quite the luxury, and most teams would gladly trade places with San Francisco in this particular context.
Yet it’s a luxury the 49ers may not be able to afford for long.
Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are both playing on their rookie contracts, yes. But Warner will be eligible for what looks to be a sizable extension in 2021, and the Niners aren’t exactly swimming in a large pool of salary cap space this season and beyond. As far as affordability goes, the current situation at linebacker isn’t going to be tenable forever.
The key factor here is Kwon Alexander, whose reworked contract will count up to $16.52 million in 2021. If Alexander is cut after June 1 next year, however, the 49ers could save almost $14 million in cap space with just $3.12 million in dead money.
The ability to do so would largely hinge on Greenlaw, whose rise last season suggests he can be a pure starter.
Considering most defenses are in nickel roughly 60 percent of the time, making Alexander a cap casualty in favor of the younger, cheaper Greenlaw might be a route the Niners are ultimately forced to take.