The backup quarterback is often referred to as the most popular player among the fans. If the starter is struggling the backup becomes everybody's favorite player. Of course, as David Carr can attest, once the backup gets into a game, the venom can spew quite mercilessly.
The San Francisco 49ers have been trying to figure out their quarterback situation for six seasons and now Jim Harbaugh gets to inherit the issue. As it currently stands, David Carr is under contract, Colin Kaepernick will soon sign his rookie contract, and Alex Smith will likely end up with a contract of his own. The 49ers will also be in the mix for another quarterback or two, but it's difficult to assess who they will be.
Earlier today, Matt Maiocco made a comment in a chat session in which he said he did not think David Carr would make the opening day 53-man roster. It's definitely not a guarantee that he's gone but it's worth considering. While he has some history with Greg Roman when both were in Houston, it's interesting to note that according to MM, whenever he asked Jim Harbaugh about Carr, Harbaugh would offer up a no comment. That can be read a bunch of ways, but it would not seem to be the best news for Carr.
Over the weekend, Drew put together a rundown on whether the 49ers should consider bringing back Troy Smith to compete for the third string QB job. I don't think Troy would come back if he was going to be competing for the three spot. Although he wasn't spectacular with the 49ers, he did enough to likely earn at least a shot at a backup QB spot somewhere else. I actually wouldn't be all that surprised if he ended up in Arizona, particularly if they can't close the deal on Kevin Kolb.
If the 49ers end up without Carr or Troy heading into the 2011 NFL season, how do you see the QB depth chart shaking out? We know Colin Kaepernick will be on the team and Alex Smith will most likely be on the team. Beyond that, if no Carr and no Troy (for arguments sake), who are the free agents or trade options likely to join the team?
We hear about guys like Adam Froman, Pat Devlin and a whole host of other undrafted free agents. On the NFL side Josh Johnson is generally the most frequently mentioned QB trade option. Kevin Kolb is also a name out there but given the 49ers addition of Colin Kaepernick I doubt they'd be willing to pay up what it would take to get Kolb in a trade. On the free agency side there are guys like Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Leinart and Marc Bulger.
I'm not saying any of these names are going to end up in San Francisco, but the 49ers are not going into training camp with just Smith, Carr, and Kaepernick. If the team is looking for a legit option to compete in camp and be a stable backup to Alex Smith for now, the options are out there.
Who will be brought into training camp to compete with the 49ers current crop of QBs?