A good day one of free agency for the 49ers: Moss, Cox, and Rogers

By Joey McMurry

The San Francisco 49ers have been a busy team in free agency so far.

As of 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13 (the first day of NFL free agency), the 49ers' free agency looks like this:

Additions:
-WR Randy Moss 
-CB Perrish Cox
-LS Brian Pontbriand
Re-signings:
CB Carlos Rogers
LB Ahmad Brooks
DB C.J. Spillman
LB Tavares Gooden
CB Tramaine Brock
DT Will Tukuafu
DaShon Goldson (franchise tag)
Restricted free agents:
LB Larry Grant - tendered a contract
WR Brett Swain - not tendered a contract
Loses:
WR Joshua Morgan
LB Blake Costanzo
Unsigned free agents:
QB Alex Smith
OL Adam Snyder
WR Ted Ginn
RG Chilo Rachal
S Reggie Smith
FB Moran Norris
TE Justin Peelle
S Madieu Williams

So far, that's a pretty solid list.

First, the 49ers will be returning all 11 defensive starters from their excellent 2011 group.

Rogers is the 11th defensive starter to return to the team.

The re-signing of Carlos Rogers was a little surprising after San Francisco seemed to be going after Brandon Carr and Eric Wright at the start of the day, but apparently Rogers and the Niners worked out a deal relatively quickly. The deal is worth a little over $7M per year for 4 years, which isn't all that bad. Last year was a breakout year for Rogers, and in some ways he was a product of the 49ers' defensive system, but he made $4.25M last year as a decent corner out of Washington. A $3M raise is acceptable despite his age (31) for what he did last season. There's always the risk he can't repeat it (Aubrey Huff with the San Francisco Giants), but he deserved the $3M raise he got because of his play last season with 6 interceptions and a Pro Bowl appearance.

Randy Moss is an entirely separate issue. My colleague Kyle McClorg (@Ruthless_Sports, Ruthless Sports) and I had a good Twitter debate about it. At first, most 49ers fans seemed to be skeptical because of Moss's motivational issues, his age, and his overall attitude. Kyle was the first to point these things out to me, and he's right - all those things are a concern. However, for the low cost of $1.75M, it's a good move. Eventually, even Kyle started to change his tune in his last paragraph.

I'm excited for Moss, too, Kyle. Moss has a lot of doubts, and he is a high risk. But really, how high of a risk is he? Harbaugh is a strong coach and can deal with Moss similar to how Bill Belicheck dealt with him during his time on the Patriots. Motivation doesn't seem to be an issue this time, either. If Moss didn't want to play, he could have stayed retired. He could have gone to perform on "Dancing with the Stars." But he didn't. Instead, he's taking a pretty reasonable amount of money to come prove that he isn't a screw up.

Moss could be a contributor for the 49ers.

Even if he can't perform exceptionally on the field, he can (hopefully) provide a veteran presence at the wide receiver position. That's something the 49ers don't have, so if Moss can step into that role San Francisco would be a much better place. Of course, there is the risk that his less appealing personality surfaces and starts to rub off on Crabtree and the rest of the receivers. If that starts to happen, Harbaugh and the staff can cut him just like they did with Braylon Edwards last year. They wouldn't lose anything, really, especially if his production on the field is down.

All in all, Moss seems to be motivated, so that is a positive sign for the 49ers. Plus, if you look at the tweets coming from the 49ers's players, they are happy to have him in San Francisco. Hopefully that tone can continue and Moss will be beneficial to the team. But if he's not, cut him. Oh well.

Another intriguing signing is that of cornerback Perrish Cox. He's an interesting story - acquitted of sexual assault charges recently and was cut form the Denver Broncos after earning his way into the starting lineup as a 5th round draft pick rookie. Not too shabby.

Perrish Cox has something to prove in San Francisco.

Despite his off the field issues, Cox can play. And from his recent interviews, he wants to show the league that. Here's another guy who has something to prove, and that sort of tenacity is a bit reflective of the 49ers under Jim Harbaugh. Plus, he's only getting minimum money for two years. That's a pretty low risk for a guy who had a Chris Culliver type rookie season a few years ago.

Blake Costanzo going to the Bears hurts, also. A special teams only guy who is a Pro Bowl alternate is very impressive. He didn't want a ton on money, so it seems like it would have been a good idea to bring him back. Instead, the 49ers gave C.J. Spillman, another special teams ace, a three year deal. If the coaching staff likes Spillman better, fine. Even still, Costanzo was great on kick coverages and will be missed by the 49ers Faithful.

The loss of Josh Morgan hurts. He was a good, reliable receiver who could have had a bug year last year were it not for his broken leg. He was great off the field - all the fans and media seemed to like him. He will be a good target for Robert Griffin III in Washington, and will be missed by the 49ers who are still thin at receiver.

So, now, of course, are the 49ers going to sign anyone else?

The 49ers obviously still need to resign Alex Smith, and they will in due time. Harbaugh wants him there, and Smith wants to be there - just give it time. It is a possibility that Smith is waiting to sign so the 49ers have a little more cap space to work with, but that is pure speculation.

Mike Wallace is still out there, as are a few other receivers. At this point, none of them seem very appealing, especially with the 49ers' financial situation. Getting into a bidding war for Wallace would cut down on the 49ers' flexibility, so the draft is probably a better choice. After all, Baalke's motto is "build through the draft, supplement through free agency."

Overall, a good first day for the 49ers. The whole dominant defense is coming back, and there are some intriguing signings to say the least. Once the 49ers resign Alex Smith and there is some sense of direction with improving the receiving corps., 49ers fans should rest a little easier knowing that a better team will be on the field next season.