To nobody's surprise, the floundering 49ers are considering a quarterback switch.
Coach Chip Kelly confirmed as much during a Monday morning chat with KNBR-AM in San Francisco, saying: "We'll get together as a staff today and look at our game plan in terms of moving forward at what we're going to do everywhere."
After last Thursday's ugly loss to the Cardinals, Kelly really has no choice but to consider starting backup Colin Kaepernick over Blaine Gabbert, who has "guided" the team to four straight losses.
"It's fair to say we're looking at every option we have to be a good football team," Kelly said, per Cam Inman of The Mercury News. "I don't think it's different from any other position. Obviously that position gets the most notoriety but we have to look at everything right now."
Kelly confirmed that Kaepernick's contract status would not impact his decision. On that front, the team and quarterback are closing in on a restructured deal that would alleviate concerns regarding injury guarantees in Kaepernick's current pact, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Kaepernick has generated plenty of off-the-field attention for his weekly protests of the national anthem. On the field, though, he's seen just three snaps all year. Kelly argued that even one down of action shows the 49ers aren't shying away from playing Kaepernick.
"If I was ever told to not put him in a game, that conspiracy theory should be done, because he's been in a game," Kelly said. "I've never been told or implied on who to play or not to play. if I was told not to play him, then why did he play? Whether it's garbage time or not, you're still susceptible to injury."
Gabbert, meanwhile, is an athletic quarterback, but currently holds a 9-31 mark as a starter and continues to baffle fans with off-target lobs and poor decision-making. His occasional solid throws can't be ignored, but the bar for Gabbert is low enough where he tends to be over-praised for anything positive.
The 49ers' offense has been a mess under Kelly and Gabbert, with only two teams in the league posting a worse passing attack through Week 5.
By October, suffering clubs without a franchise quarterback tend to shuffle through arms looking for a spark. If that doesn't happen this week for Kaepernick, his chance will arrive soon enough.
