The “dead arm” saga of Colin Kaepernick will stretch into Week 2 of the NFL preseason. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback is being held out of action once again this Saturday when the team plays the Denver Broncos.
Chip Kelly: Kaepernick won't play vs Broncos, planning on getting him in next week vs Packers. Will throw on side today but not vs Broncos
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) August 18, 2016
Chip Kelly said Colin Kaepernick will be eased back into practice with an eye on him playing in third preseason game. #49ers
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 18, 2016
Kaepernick put on a uniform on Wednesday for the first time in a week and threw a few short passes. That he’s still not throwing in practice situations indicates his so-called “dead arm” is still a problem.
We covered this in detail a few days ago, but the general gist is this: Kaepernick has lost strength in his throwing shoulder, and one surgeon believes the problem might take weeks to resolve itself (more on that here).
The 49ers are already in Denver for joint practices with the Broncos. While Kaepernick continues to rest his weary arm, Blaine Gabbert has taken all the first-team snaps.
At this point, there is no competition for the starting job, no matter what head coach Chip Kelly may say in the media.
Gabbert will clearly be running with the starters in Week 3 for the team’s regular season dress rehearsal. Meanwhile, word is coming out of Santa Clara that general manager Trent Baalke has been pulling for Gabbert all along while pushing against Kaepernick.
Some have suggested the 49ers will pull a RG3 on Kaepernick this year, putting him on ice for the season so they can just cut him afterwards. At this point, nobody should be shocked if this ends up being the case.