Two defensive starters are expected to hit the free agent market in the NFL, but the San Francisco 49ers aren’t likely to get involved in trying to sign either one.

News broke Monday that the Green Bay Packers released cornerback Jaire Alexander. The Cincinnati Bengals are also parting ways with linebacker Germaine Pratt.

It’s easy to see why the 49ers would pass on Pratt. He looked like an ascending superstar after a stellar 2022 campaign. He failed to back that up in 2023 and 2024. San Francisco has a handful of young players on the roster who will compete for the starting Will LB job alongside Fred Warner, including rookie third-round pick Nick Martin. If the 49ers are going to sign a veteran LB, it would likely be sometime during training camp if they think none of the younger players in-house can adequately play the position.

Alexander is a different story. Knee and shoulder injuries limited him to only 14 games across the last two seasons, but he was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2022. For the 49ers the Alexander addition could be a low-risk move to help bolster a secondary that has a slew of question marks in its starting group. Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green figure to snag two starting spots. The third CB job is up in the air, and adding Alexander to the mix would make a ton of sense.

The problem for the 49ers is Alexander wouldn’t sign to compete for a starting spot. He’s a two-time All-Pro who would immediately slide in as a starting CB. He may or may not be that caliber of player anymore after his injury issues. Getting him in the building would be helpful for the 49ers’ depth and he brings more high-end upside than any player on the roster. His floor is very low, though and chasing an oft-injured veteran isn’t something that fits the 49ers’ current roster-building ethos.

Depth could be an issue for the 49ers again this season, but it’s clear they’re happy giving opportunities to young players to fill a majority of those depth issues.

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