2012 NFL Free Agency: 4 Moves the San Francisco 49ers Need to Make

The San Francisco 49ers still have moves they need to make in order to establish themselves as the best team in the NFC.

The 49ers started free agency with a big splash — signing future Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss to a one-year deal. There's no guaranteed money in Moss' contract, which makes the deal a low-risk, high-reward situation. If Moss acts up, the 49ers could cut him before he even plays a game without paying him a dime. 

The 49ers also re-signed Pro Bowl cornerback Carlos Rogers and linebacker Tavares Gooden. In a surprising move, the 49ers also signed unrestricted free agent cornerback Perrish Cox.

Free agency has just started, and the 49ers still have moves to make.

Here's a list of four moves the 49ers need to make in free agency: 

Sign Brandon Lloyd

Losing Joshua Morgan to the Washington Redskins hurts.

Morgan broke his ankle in the fourth quarter of the 49ers' 48-3 win over Tampa Bay. He should not have even been in the game in the first place.

Now that Morgan is gone, the 49ers need to find a replacement to team with the newly acquired Moss and the former No. 10 pick, Michael Crabtree.

The best option — Brandon Lloyd. 

Lloyd is no stranger to the Bay Area. He played for the 49ers for the first three years of his career. 

If the 49ers can finalize a deal with Lloyd, the team's receiving core could go from one of the NFL's worst, to one of the NFL's best.

Don't Stop with Lloyd, Look to Manningham as Well

Not only is Morgan leaving the 49ers, but it looks like Ted Ginn Jr. may be gone as well.

Ginn has a visit with the Detroit Lions, where he could become the Lions' new kick returner and backup wide receiver.

Mario Manningham, the New York Giants Super Bowl hero, is scheduled to meet with the team on Thursday.

Manningham would be a significant upgrade from Ginn. He can make spectacular catches and pairing him with Moss, Vernon Davis and Crabtree would be lethal. 

As evident from the NFC title game, the 49ers need as much help at wide receiver as they can get. 

Add Depth at Linebacker

The 49ers have arguably the most fearsome group of linebackers in the NFL.

The best part — they're relatively young.

All four of their starting linebackers are under the age of 30, with Ahmad Brooks, 28, being the oldest of the group.

There's nothing wrong with the starting linebacker core. The 49ers just need some depth behind them.

The 49ers re-signed Gooden, 27, to a two-year contract.

Larry Grant, who the 49ers made a one-year tender to, is also a key player. He played great when Patrick Willis was out with a hamstring injury.

Decide on Alex Smith

We're a day-and-a-half into free agency and Alex Smith still has not re-signed with the 49ers.

What's the hold up?

There were reports that Smith was unhappy about the length of the deal, preferring a five-year deal over a three-year deal.

The 49ers are bidding against themselves for Smith. There probably isn’t another team planning to offer him a lucrative deal. 

The 49ers need to get this deal done as soon as possible. Not having a starting quarterback in the offseason is dangerous territory. 

Unless of course, this is just a ruse management is playing in order to get Peyton Manning. By publicly saying they are interested in Manning, they could lose out on re-signing Smith. If they were to fail at signing Manning, then they would be left with nothing.

Why would Smith re-sign with the 49ers after he led the team to the NFC Championship game, only for them to publicly pursue Manning? By publicly shooting down the idea of Manning, the 49ers have nothing to lose.