The San Francisco 49ers are not in a quarterback controversy, but we may be fast approaching a change at the position. Head coach Jim Tomsula met with the media on Monday and was asked if he knew who his starting quarterback would be for this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Tomsula emphatically said, "We are evaluating everybody." He was asked if this meant there might be a change at the position, and he said again that they are evaluating everybody.
Tomsula did not say a change was happening, but his comments were still notable. In previous weeks when Colin Kaepernick has struggled, Tomsula has emphatically stated Kap is the quarterback. This is the first time he has not said that. It is not exactly a shocking development, but it is notable given the current state of the team.
The 49ers face the Falcons this Sunday, and then have their bye week. The team could elect to bench Kap now and make the switch to Gabbert, but it might make sense to wait for the bye week. There are reasons to consider both possibilities. On the one hand, the bye week gives Gabbert two weeks to prep for the Seahawks. On the other hand, if Kap is clearly going to lose the job, would another game do anything to help the situation? Maybe they start him and then bench him if he struggles, or maybe they just pull the plug right now and go with Blaine Gabbert. The 49ers are have some options. They are not particularly great options at the moment, but they do have options.