Steve Wyche of NFL Media was at San Francisco 49ers practice today in Santa Clara. Following practice, he gave his opinion on the team's quarterback competition between Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick.
"It's a legitimate quarterback competition," said Wyche. "During the offseason, remember Blaine Gabbert took the majority of the first-team reps because Colin Kaepernick was not medically cleared. Kaepernick had shoulder, thumb, and knee surgery so he really couldn't do much on-field work until the final week of OTAs."
"But Chip Kelly, he lived up to his word. Both guys got 12 reps each with the first team. Both guys looked ok," Wyche continued. "One thing that you noticed about Kaepernick – he was not lost. He's a guy that looked like he had gone through the spring workouts and the offseason workouts because he took the mental reps. And when I say lost, he understood his progressions. He got in and out of the huddle. So this competition, whereas coming into the week, it may have seemed like Gabbert may have had a sizable head start, this situation might be a lot more even and it is abundantly clear that Chip Kelly is going to let each guy play his way into our out of the job.
"And the one thing that Kelly did say was that he would like to make the decision sooner rather than later. But he doesn't want to make it too soon and choose the wrong guy."
Wyche went on to discuss Kaepernick's weight. "It is clear that he is kind of back to being a little more of the chiseled quarterback that we're use to seeing and that he had gained weight," said Wyche.
Wyche also discussed OT Anthony Davis' return and how the team was reacting to having him back on the roster. "This offensive line is a concern, but if you have two anchors on the outside, that is a huge huge benefit," said Wyche.
You can watch the entire NFL Network segment below.
