The San Francisco 49ers did not get much in the way of answers for the quarterback position, and Chip Kelly would not provide much more. Kelly met with the media after Friday’s game and said there was no timeline for deciding on a starting quarterback.
Blaine Gabbert was the most efficient of the quarterbacks, completing 2 of 3 passes for 14 yards, but it’s not exactly saying a whole lot considering this group’s performance. Gabbert felt good about some of what he did, but he also would have liked to have more opportunities in the game.
Kaepernick finished the game 2 of 6 for 14 yards, with 18 rushing yards on four carries. After the game he said he felt he could go out and win the starting job. He was comfortable with what was going on this week, but felt the team could be more productive on first and second down.
At this point, it’s hard to see Kaepernick claiming the starting job right out of the gate in Week 1. He missed the first two games, and looked off in Friday’s game. He’ll get more opportunities against the Chargers in Week 4, but given how few starters San Diego will likely send out opposite the 49ers, it’s hard to get a solid read on the starting quarterback competition.
My guess at this point is that Gabbert gets the start Week 1. That does not mean he starts all 16 games, and that’s where this whole thing gets interesting. There was a question of Chip Kelly as to whether the team has considered cutting Kaepernick if he does not win the starting quarterback job. Kelly said that has never been considered. There has been chatter of whether or not the team would consider that, but for the time being, it seems off the table.
And so, for now, we get to wait and see what is next in this competition. I fully expect Gabbert to be named the starter eventually. And yet, based on how this whole thing has gone, would it be at all surprising to see Kaepernick eventually end up handling snaps at some point? There are enough questions that we could easily see a crazy rotation at the quarterback position.