The first two days of 49ers training camp were Kwon Alexander’s first on-field workouts since tearing his ACL in Week 6 last season while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He missed all of the offseason program, and wasn’t cleared for contact until passing a physical when the team reported for camp Friday.
Two days on his repaired ACL have gone smoothly for Alexander, but he won’t say he feels good. The 24-year-old linebacker dug for a stronger adjective.
“Legendary,” he said according to Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee. “This is a word I use. It’s better. I don’t like to use the word ‘good.’ I’m trying to be better than that. So I just use that to keep my mindset where it needs to be, and that’s what it is.”
A better-than-good season from Alexander would be a welcome relief for a 49ers front seven that struggled with consistency at the linebacker spot last season.
San Francisco gave Alexander a four-year contract worth up to $54 million with $25.5 million guaranteed with the expectation that he’d fully recover from his ACL tear and reach the athletic level he was at when he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017. The 49ers would take a good performance from Alexander. They could field a championship-caliber defense if he turns in a ‘legendary’ outing this season.
There are still some questions about whether Alexander will be able to play in the regular-season opener against his former team in Tampa Bay. He’s already been ruled out of the preseason opener Aug. 10 against the Cowboys, but the rest of the preseason is still a possibility. His progress has been tremendous considering how late his injury occurred last year, and if he exits camp feeling ‘legendary,’ it’s hard to imagine he won’t be on the field for Week 1 against the Buccaneers.
