SANTA CLARA Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey White , Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers opened the new league year Wednesday by acquiring the defensive playmaker the team was sorely lacking in edge rusher Dee Ford.The 49ers are sending a 2020 second-round pick to Kansas City for Ford and are giving him a five-year, $87.5 million contract, according to his agent.San Francisco also agreed to a two-year deal with running back Tevin Coleman to add depth in the backfield, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. ESPN reported that deal would be worth $10 million.The 49ers also agreed to bring back defensive back Jimmie Ward on a one-year contract worth up to $5 million, a person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity because the signing hadn’t been announced.San Francisco also announced a four-year deal the team had agreed to earlier in the week with linebacker Kwon Alexander worth $54 million.The Chiefs had placed the franchise tag on Ford after he had a career-high 13 sacks last season and led the NFL with seven forced fumbles. But they had questions about how he’d fit in new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense and decided to trade him instead of paying him $15.4 million for this season.Ford was picked in the first round by Kansas City in 2014 but went through some growing pains as he adapted to life in the NFL and has an injury history that is cause for concern. He had 17 1/2 sacks his first four seasons and was limited to just six games in 2017 because of a back injury.But he emerged as a star this past season as a key part of a defense that helped Kansas City make it to the AFC championship game. But his offside penalty late in that game against New England negated an interception that could have sealed a victory. The Patriots scored a TD on that drive and won the game in overtime.Ford led all edge rushers with 84 total quarterback pressures last season, according to Pro Football Focus, to go with the sacks and forced fumbles and is exactly the kind of playmaker the 49ers lacked on defense this past season.San Francisco set an NFL record for futility with just seven takeaways, including a record-low two interceptions, as a lack of an edge rusher played a big role in a 4-12 season.“You have to have a guy who can close out games, close out halves,” general manager John Lynch said at the combine when talking about the need for better pass rushers. “When you have them, they can be a difference-maker.”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.Coleman will be reunited with coach Kyle Shanahan, who was his offensive coordinator his first two seasons in Atlanta in 2015-16. Coleman rushed for 800 yards last season at an average of 4.8 per carry and also had 32 catches for 276 yards and scored nine TDs overall.He will team in the backfield with Jerick McKinnon, who is coming off an ACL injury that cost him the entire 2018 season after being a big acquisition last March. San Francisco also has Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert as reserves.Ward was a first-round pick by San Francisco in 2014 but has played only 51 games over five seasons because of various injuries. He has experience playing both cornerback and safety and offers versatility for San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers have reached the halfway point of their schedule, and it fittingly comes at the same time as the 2018 NFL trade deadline. NFL rules allow for player trade up until 1 p.m. PT on Tuesday, October 30th. After that, deals cannot be formally executed until the new league year starts next March.The 49ers are in the midst of their rebuilding process, and at a bit of a curious period in it. They entered the season looking to push for a playoff berth. They had plenty of holes to fill, but with Jimmy Garoppolo, I think most of us thought they could at least hang around the playoff chase into the latter part of the season.The loss of Jerick McKinnon to a torn ACL in training camp lowered expectations a little bit, but we still saw Garoppolo as the guy who could guide this ship. Once Garoppolo went down, expectations changed drastically. C.J. Beathard returned to the starting lineup Jerry Rice Jersey White , and the team is playing out the string looking to 2019 and Garoppolo’s return from ACL surgery.The 49ers are looking at a high draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, which could bring a serious impact edge rusher or cornerback (or another position). That coupled with the return of Garoppolo and McKinnon likely raises expectations back to the playoff level. We don’t know how Garoppolo or McKinnon will respond coming off a torn ACL, but that won’t stop people from thinking this is a playoff team.And so, as the trade deadline approaches, the team has to balance a potential 2019 playoff push with the long-term process. We’ve heard trade rumors thus far about Pierre Gar莽on and Jimmie Ward. Gar莽on is struggling with injuries and might be hitting the end of the road, while Ward has been shuffled around every year and is in the option year of his rookie contract. I could see both being dealt if the 49ers can get some draft pick compensation.There has been some mention of Richard Sherman as a potential trade option, but that won’t be happening this year. John Lynch has said he is part of the future, and Sherman himself has said they told him as much. A Godfather offer could come along, but that seems unlikely at this point.Matt Maiocco brought up an interesting name in his trade deadline primer: guard Joshua Garnett. The 2016 first round pick spent last season on injured reserve, and has been inactive six of the eight games thus far in 2018. An injury cost him a chance at starting over Mike Person, but it remains to be seen if he was going to claim a starting job even if healthy. Person signed a one-year contract this year, so his future is uncertain. The 49ers might very well not be able to get even a seventh for Garnett at this point, but he will be someone to track as the deadline approaches this afternoon.Another name is occasionally mentioned, but makes little to no sense given the current status of the team. I’ve had people ask if Joe Staley should be traded. ESPN’s Mike Sando recently put together a rundown of deals NFL executives have either suggested to him or he has vetted with them. He included a deal that had the Los Angeles Chargers sending a third round pick to the 49ers for Staley.I get that the 49ers could move McGlinchey to left tackle and draft or sign another tackle next year, but this where looking to be competitive in 2019 comes into play. Long-term, the 49ers will need to replace Joe Staley. But for a potential playoff push in 2019 and maybe 2020, Staley would seem to be the best answer if you want to fill other needs with higher impact picks. If the 49ers think he will take a step back, that’s another discussion entirely, but to trade him for any other reason doesn’t make sense to me.Do you actually expect to see any deals today? We’ve heard talk of this deadline being busier than any in recent memory, but NFL trades are slow to develop. I would be pleasantly surprised to see it turn into a busy day, but I’m not holding my breath.