San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was among the players on the field about two hours prior to the San Francisco 49ers' preseason kickoff against the Broncos in Denver. He started by getting some light throwing in and then started to air it out a little more.
Colin Kaepernick won't play. He's throwing pregame. Velocity coming back it appears. 49ers hope he's 100% next week pic.twitter.com/bbOynB1cIC
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 20, 2016
Colin Kaepernick is taking drop backs and throwing 25-yard passes to the numbers to Bruce Ellington. He's airing it out a little.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) August 20, 2016
Update: Colin Kaepernick just tossed 55-yard pass to Bruce Ellington in warmups. #49ers
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 20, 2016
Kaepernick will not play tonight against the Broncos. Head coach Chip Kelly stated this week that the team is looking to ease him back into practice this coming week and get him ready to play against the Green Bay Packers on Friday.
Him throwing with such good strength is a good sign that the quarterback will be ready to start practicing this week and try to climb back into the competition with Blaine Gabbert for the starting job. Kaepernick did get some light throwing in during the team's joint-practice with the Broncos this week, but all of it was on a side field away from the other players.
Kaepernick had been suffering from "arm fatigue" – or whatever the team has decided to call it today. General manager Trent Baalke told the media this week that the injury was the result of his comeback from three surgeries following the 2015 season.
The loss of the popular quarterback among fans, along with the loss of Thad Lewis for the season to a torn ACL, prompted the signing of QB Christian Ponder on Tuesday.
Aside from Kaepernick, the other 49ers players that will sit out tonights game are WR Bruce Ellington, WR DeAndre Smelter, DE Glenn Dorsey, DE Arik Armstead, and DE DeForest Buckner.