San Francisco 49ers' coach, Chip Kelly, is still tight-lipped on the team's starting quarterback for the upcoming NFL season. A lot of fans are still hopeful for a better season for their team, but with the rumored competition between Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert as quarterback might determine their chances.
According to Blow Sports, during the off-season Kaepernick was given permission to negotiate with Denver for a possible move, but as the two sides didn't reach a mutual understanding, the trade won't push through. As such, Kaepernick will stay with the 49ers until further development.
However, his position as quarterback is on a pretty tight rope due to the fact that he isn't medically cleared for football activities. This is due to the injuries he sustained, such as a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder and a torn ligament in his right thumb, both of which required surgery in order to have them fixed. Despite this, he's still seen in the 49ers' OTAs, taking an active role presumably to secure his position as quarterback.
Because of the uncertainty of Kaepernick's timetable for recovery, Gabbert has a higher chance of becoming the starter. After all, he will have more play time in the OTAs, so he'll have more exposure compared to his competitor.
However, according to an earlier article made by Sporting News, Kaepernick looked a bit emaciated due to the surgery. This means that the injury he sustained has prevented him from doing his rigorous weightroom routine.
Gabbert started in 2011 as part of the Jackson Jaguars, playing with them for 15 games. He was able to complete around 50 percent of his passes and had 12 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. As for the last season, he played eight games and had 10 touchdowns and completed 63.1 percent of his passes.
