Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports
NFL Total Access: McGinest and Wilcots believe Colin Kaepernick will win starting job
Jul 20, 2016 at 10:36 PM
•
Willie McGinest and Solomon Wilcots joined
NFL Network's NFL Total Access on Wednesday to talk about quarterback competitions around the league as training camps near. When the topic steered over to the San Francisco 49ers, each gave their opinion on the impending battle between
Blaine Gabbert and
Colin Kaepernick for the starting job.
"I think it's going to be Blaine Gabbert by default." answered McGinest when asked which quarterback had the advantage in San Francisco. "Colin Kaepernick has not been able to be full speed in the offseason, hasn't really thrown the football. So you said, 'Going into camp' – it's going to be Blaine Gabbert to start until Colin Kaepernick get's healthy."
"Now I do think that this offense suits Colin Kaepernick better for what Chip Kelly is trying to do," continued McGinest. "With his athleticism, with his arm, throwing the ball down the field – something that fits him perfectly once the season gets started."
That would be one vote for Kaepernick. What did Wilcots have to say on the matter?
"You know Willie, you can't coach courage," said Wilcots. "Blaine Gabbert – at times – been a little skittish in the pocket. So I gotta go with Colin Kaepernick because I do believe that Colin Kaepernick has the skillsets, I think to lead a football team. Now there's been times, of course, when he has struggled, where things have broken down around him, where the team hasn't had the structure, but we've seen him play at a high level. We've seen him take a team to the Super Bowl. And so I think he can be the guy to get it done over Blaine Gabbert."
That would be two votes for Kaepernick.
"I think once the season starts, [Kaepernick] will be the starter, but we're just saying 'Going into camp,'" emphasized McGinest. "'Til he heals up."
"If he's not the starter, certainly this is going to be his last year in San Francisco so his career could head in a totally different direction," added host Dan Hellie.
You can watch the entire segment below with the discussion about the 49ers kicking off at about the 1:14 mark.
Top quarterback competitions heading into camp
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Why Trey Lance faces uphill battle to win 49ers' starting job, per Kyle Shanahan
The San Francisco 49ers expect Brock Purdy to be ready to play between early September and early November. That's a significant range considering the 2023 NFL season begins in early September. Head coach Kyle Shanahan, speaking with reporters at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, said the team expects its 23-year-old quarterback's recovery from his March 10 surgery to be six to eight months.
The 49ers will know more in June, when Purdy begins throwing again and starts ramping up his workload as part of his rehab.
"It might be Week 1," Shanahan said. "I think I'm hearing, at the latest, Week 4. But that's just all estimations, and we'll see what
Why Barrows doesn't believe the 49ers trade Trey Lance this offseason
It wouldn't be a San Francisco 49ers offseason without some quarterback drama. There hasn't been confidence in the position since after the 2017 season when the team locked up Jimmy Garoppolo to a then-record contract after an impressive five-game run. Garoppolo isn't even on the roster anymore, signing with the Las Vegas Raiders this month.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan stated this week that if Brock Purdy were healthy, he would be the "leader in the clubhouse" to be the 49ers' Week 1 starter. Purdy is recovering from surgery to repair the ligament tear in his right elbow, throwing a wrench in that. Most don't expect Purdy to be available until
Rapoport: Sam Darnold will 'more likely than not' be 49ers' Week 1 starting QB
Ah, San Francisco 49ers offseason quarterback drama. We haven't had that since … well, last offseason. If there is one thing you can count on with the Bay Area team on a yearly basis, it's quarterback drama.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan made one thing clear over the last two days: If he were healthy, Brock Purdy would be the frontrunner to start Week 1 of the 2023 season. However, he is recovering from his March 10 surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow. That will keep him off the practice field until maybe early September.
That timeline could extend beyond September. It's just too early for
Albert Breer: Win-now roster creates QB dilemma for 49ers
Once again, the San Francisco 49ers find themselves entrenched in offseason quarterback drama. Brock Purdy, the rookie signal-caller who took the NFL by storm this past season, is recovering from surgery on the torn ligament in his elbow. Unfortunately, that means likely missing time until September, putting his Week 1 availability into question.
The 49ers' former No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance, is returning from a season-ending ankle injury. He still has only four starts after two seasons under his belt, making it impossible to gauge his potential just yet.
San Francisco signed Sam Darnold, who has started 55 career games but only won 38 percent of those matchups.
Even after watching several players walk away in free agency, the 49ers remain one of