Well, that escalated quickly. First it was “arm fatigue” Colin Kaepernick was dealing with, and now the quarterback reportedly has a “dead arm” that has sapped his strength.
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, who did not play Sunday night, is dealing with what two sources called “a dead arm.” SF hopes strength back soon.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 15, 2016
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was held out of Sunday’s preseason opener because Chip Kelly said wasn’t “100 percent” and didn’t think it was fair to throw him out there like that.
But “dead arm” is a bit more extreme that just not 100 percent healthy. This suggests a problem that could potentially linger.
Not only that, but the fact that the team “hopes the strength comes back soon” doesn’t necessarily bode well for Kaepernick’s chances to play this upcoming week when the 49ers head to Denver to take on the Broncos.
It’s looking more and more like Blaine Gabbert will be the starting quarterback of the 49ers by default. He didn’t do a ton to give Kelly and the coaching staff confidence during Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, hitting only four of his 10 attempts, missing on many badly.
The only saving grace was Gabbert’s 43-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vance McDonald, which was as much a result of poor tackling and effort than a good play by the 49ers.
If Kaepernick’s dead arm continues to keep him out of practices and games, he will end up being nothing more than a clipboard holder this year. At this point, it seems clear the 49ers’ quarterback “competition” is nothing more than a farce.