The San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation remains a headache, to say the least. The team is trying to trade Colin Kaepernick, and if they are successful, they will be left with Blaine Gabbert, Thad Lewis, and Dylan Thompson. Not exactly a robust trio, although Trent Baalke is reportedly enamored with Gabbert for some reason. The question is whether or not the 49ers will add anybody of significance to the depth chart.
Late last week, Gil Brandt put together a ranking of all the potential quarterbacks still available via free agency, trade, and the draft. There are several teams on the lookout for a starting quarterback, and plenty more looking for some kind of significant depth. There are not a lot of teams that are 100 percent satisfied with their quarterback situation, and so there will be plenty of people adding some kind of quarterback at some point.
1. Jared Goff
1a. Carson Wentz
3. Ryan Fitzpatrick
4. Robert Griffin III
5. Colin Kaepernick
6. Paxton Lynch
7. Connor Cook
8. Johnny Manziel
You can read through his reasoning for each, but here is what he had to say about Kaepernick:
Speaking of gambles, I think trading for Kaepernick is a big one. At least with RGIII, you wouldn't have to give up compensation or be saddled with a sizable contract. While I think Fitzpatrick would be a better fit in Denver, I see why John Elway is kicking the tires here. Under Gary Kubiak, Kaepernick wouldn't be asked to pass as much, and with his accuracy issues, that's a good thing. My biggest concern with him is his work ethic. Would he be willing to put in the work required by a disciplined organization like the Broncos? I would worry about him a little going to a team like the Browns, but I could see them trading for him and then taking a quarterback like Wentz with the No. 2 pick.
Obviously there is no compensation to be given up for RG3, but the contract issue is not as big a deal as Brandt might make it out to be. There is a contract, which you don't have with RG3, but given the QB contracts we have seen this offseason, it is still fairly reasonable. As for the work ethic concerns? Well, if it's about Kap working on the "right things" then so be it. Steve Young brought that issue up before, and it is certainly a reasonable one. If it's about just the idea of putting in hard work in general, Brandt is way off the mark.