The most glaring need for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason

was clear after the defense set records for futility with just seven takeaways and two interceptions last season.The team's first two big moves of the new league year were made to address that deficiency with the additions of an edge rusher in Dee Ford White Corey Bojorquez Jerseys , who has a propensity for strip sacks, and a speedy linebacker in Kwon Alexander, who has a knack for finding the ball."That wasn't fun to watch," general manager John Lynch said Thursday. "It is something we have to live with. It's a reality, and we needed to change that. These are the type of players that we believe can reverse that trend. Starting with Kwon. He's always around the ball. There's so many things to like, but that is definitely something that jumps. And then Dee, he has a knack for getting the ball out. Eight forced fumbles last year, and that first step is lethal. We think that can help our entire team get that virus going, where we're taking away the ball on a regular basis."The 49ers paid a big price for these additions, trading a 2020 second-round pick to Kansas City to acquire Ford and then giving him a five-year, $87.5 million contract, and signing Alexander to a four-year deal worth $54 million.Ford had a career-high 13 sacks last season and led the NFL with seven forced fumbles. He also led all edge rushers with 84 total quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus Corey Bojorquez Jerseys 2019 , making him exactly the kind of playmaker the 49ers lacked on defense this past season."It's really a mindset and muscle memory," Ford said of forcing turnovers. "It's not really an intricate skill to have. It's just a mindset. Most guys get to the quarterback and just want to take him down. Just switch the mentality and knock the ball out. You have to work it. Everything happens so fast so it needs to be muscle memory to go for the ball."The 49ers haven't had an edge rusher reach double digits in sacks since Aldon Smith had 19 1/2 in 2012 and have the fifth-fewest overall sacks in the NFL the past six seasons. DeForest Buckner led the team with 12 sacks this past season, mostly from an interior spot.Alexander, coming off a torn ACL, has six career interceptions, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and seven sacks in 46 games."Speed and violence affect the quarterback and make people do stupid things before they want to," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Both of these guys have a lot of speed, and they both play very violent."With Ford slated to start at defensive end in the Leo position on San Francisco's defense, the strategy in the draft could be altered. The Niners have the second overall pick and could be in position to take Ohio State's Nick Bosa, who is projected to play the same role.Now they could be in position to move down in the draft or look at a rush linebacker like Josh Allen."We're evaluating everyone," Lynch said. "Having Dee just makes us a better football team, and the draft's something separate. Yes White Marcus Murphy Jerseys , those two do interact at some point, but we'll see. We're going to go out there and look. At No. 2, you want to have a great football player. That's what we're looking for and we'll see where it ends up."The 49ers also signed cornerback Jason Verrett to a one-year deal, receiver Jordan Matthews to a one-year contract, linebacker David Mayo to a two-year contract, and agreed on a one-year deal to bring back safety Antone Exum. San Francisco also released linebacker Brock Coyle, who announced he will retire after suffering a back injury last season.Verrett is a 2014 first-round pick by the Chargers and made the Pro Bowl in 2015. But he has played only five games the past three seasons after suffering knee injuries in 2016 and '17 and then tearing his Achilles tendon during a conditioning test on the first day of training camp last year.Verrett will compete with 2017 third-round pick Ahkello Witherspoon and 2018 third-rounder Tarvarius Moore for the starting spot across from Richard Sherman."It's a smile now, cry later type of thing for me," Verrett said of his run of injuries. "It was a lot of dark moments dealing with the injuries, but I came out of the tunnel and I'm ready to get things rolling."Matthews is a cousin of former 49ers great Jerry Rice and has always wanted to play for the team. He was a second-round pick by Philadelphia in 2014 and has 270 catches for 3,255 yards and 22 TDs in five seasons with the Eagles and Buffalo.Matthews averaged 75 catches a year his first three seasons before being slowed by injuries in 2017 with the Bills and a lack of opportunities last season with the Eagles after returning to Philadelphia.Mayo was a special teams standout for Carolina who offers depth at inside linebacker for San Francisco.Exum spent the past two seasons with the 49ers and started seven games at safety in 2018. The Buffalo Bills had a bad offensive line in 2018. There might have been some good players on said offensive line, but as a unit, the group did not perform well. Bills quarterbacks were sacked 41 times this year Marcus Murphy Jerseys 2019 , 17th in the league. Bills running backs gained only 3.5 yards per attempt on the season.Veteran guard Vladimir Ducasse began the year as the team’s starting left guard, but he ended it as a healthy scratch in the team’s final six games. He graded out at a 49.8 on the year per Pro Football Focus, leaving him as the 67th-ranked guard in the league. Ducasse is a veteran, but he is definitely a replaceable player—as he has been below-average for the better part of his tenure with the Bills.There is no shortage of talented guards on the market, however, so I think the Bills should make every attempt to sign one who can step in and start right away. Given that Buffalo also stands to lose John Miller and Ryan Groy, who are both unrestricted free agents, it is imperative that they sign someone who can play at a high level from day one.The full list of free agent guards is a long one, and it contains a solid mix of younger players and wily veterans. Here is a shorter list of players the Bills should definitely pursue this off-season.Mark GlowinskiThe 26-year old graded out as PFF’s 17th-best guard this season, earning a 69.8 overall grade on the year. His improved play was a big part of the reason that the Indianapolis Colts were able to keep quarterback Andrew Luck healthy. Along with Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith, the rebuilt Colts offensive line paved the way for a return to offensive glory. An unrestricted free agent for the first time, Glowinski could parlay his team’s huge season offensively into a huge payday for himself. A downside, however White Ryan Groy Jerseys , is the fact that he committed five penalties in his 11 games (nine starts). A positive is that he did not allow a sack on the year. Buffalo’s new offensive line coach, Bobby Johnson, was on the Indy staff last year as assistant offensive line coach. D.J. FlukerThe veteran had one of the best seasons of his career playing right guard for the Seattle Seahawks in 2018. If the Bills decide that Wyatt Teller can remain at left guard, then they could theoretically add Fluker to solidify the offensive line for years to come. The 28-year old Fluker graded poorly in PFF’s overall rankings (49.8 overall; guard No. 70); however, the outlet noted that he only allowed nine pressures in ten games this year. A huge negative is the number of penalties he committed last year—nine—which brought his career total to 43 penalties in 74 career games.Rodger SaffoldThe Los Angeles Rams will play in Super Bowl LIII in February, and it could be their veteran guard’s last game with the team. Saffold is 31 and coming off a season where PFF graded him as the seventh-best guard in the NFL, as he earned a 73.8 overall grade. He will certainly command a high salary, but if he is willing to travel across the country, he would add an instant boost to Buffalo’s moribund offensive line. Saffold committed six penalties and allowed two sacks this season.Ramon FosterThe veteran has been a dominant force on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line since 2009. He has been remarkably durable, starting 14 games or more in every season since 2011. He has continued to perform at a high level despite his advanced age (Foster just turned 33), and PFF graded his play this year at a 69.1, which was sixteenth among all guards. If the Bills could convince him to make the 215-mile drive north, giving him a two-year deal would help their offensive line tremendously. Foster only committed three penalties and allowed one sack on the season.Matt SlausonAnother fantastic veteran Ryan Groy Jerseys 2019 , Slauson signed with the Colts this year and made it through five games before fracturing two vertebrae and landing on injured reserve. He was solid in his time in the lineup however, earning a 66.8 from PFF, which was the nineteenth-best score among guards. His injury cleared the way for Glowinski to play. Slauson is a tough guy—he finished the game in which he fractured the vertebrae, a Thursday night match-up with the New England Patriots—but he has not played a full season since 2016. At 32 years old, he would be someone to sign to an incentive-laden deal. When he is healthy, he is still among the best guards in the league. Proving that he is healthy and then staying healthy for a whole season is the difficulty here. Slauson committed one penalty and did not allow a sack last season.Andy LevitreIt won’t happen...would it? A reunion with Buffalo’s second-round draft pick from the 2009 NFL Draft would be something, but at 32, he seems to be on the decline, as he has had his season end prematurely each of the last two years due to triceps muscle tears. When healthy, he is still a fantastic player, but like Slauson, he has missed multiple games in each of the last two seasons.