49ers Roster, 90-in-90 breakdowns: Colt McCoy

Here at Niners Nation, we're presenting a series called "90-in-90". We'll be looking at every player on the San Francisco 49ers offseason roster, one player per post, from now until the start of training camp.

The San Francisco 49ers made the decision to go with Colin Kaepernick mid-season in 2012, and though I disagreed with the decision at the time, Jim Harbaugh handily proved why he's getting paid at least $5 million this year and I'll make ... significantly less than that.

As a result, Alex Smith was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason and while I was thrilled with what the 49ers received in compensation, I couldn't have been the only one scratching my head wondering if Scott Tolzien was to be the primary backup of the future.

On top of that, the quarterback draft class was less than stellar ... not a single rookie from this class was an attractive backup option. Cue the trade for Colt McCoy (and if you paid attention to the rest of the NFL, several other trades for middling quarterbacks, reinforcing the belief that the draft class was sub-par) and I could not be happier with the 49ers' quarterback situation going forward.

McCoy hasn't been the most solid quarterback, but it is my opinion he got a raw deal in Cleveland. I was always a fan of his coming out of college, and the fact that he wasn't given a real shot to compete against Brandon Weeden of all quarterbacks is just shameful. As an aside, I think the Browns would be on the cusp of the NFL's elite if they hadn't wasted a first-round pick on old man Weeden.

McCoy brings that "decent but won't wow you" skillset to the table. He can make the throws he needs to make to win a football game, but he'll throw interceptions at inopportune times and you can blame a fair number of sacks on his poor pocket awareness. That said, he's been known to rise to the occasion in the past and can shine with a strong supporting cast.

In other words, he's probably a good backup.

What to expect in 2013

Colin Kaepernick is the starter and that's not about to change. Jim Harbaugh loves him and what he brings to the table. What we should hope for is that McCoy never plays a snap outside of garbage time when the 49ers are up big. But Kaepernick does play a style of football that puts him in the danger zone, and if that happens, McCoy will take over.

If McCoy is in charge of the offense, I'd assume we'd see a much bigger focus on the running game. But if McCoy does pass the ball, I'd imagine he'll primarily target the big-bodied guys like Vernon Davis and Anquan Boldin. Harbaugh will play McCoy to his strengths in every situation, and I'd expect him to perform well, personally.

Odds of making the roster

At this point, there's not really another viable option for a backup on the roster. There will be some kind of "competition" during training camp and the preseason, but McCoy is the guy and I wouldn't be shocked if the 49ers only carried two quarterbacks. At this point, it seems likely that McCoy is one of those quarterbacks. For me, he's a lock to make it.