By Jordan Long
Quarterback Collin Kaepernick could be back in the NFL soon. A scheduled private workout is going to be held on Saturday for all 32 NFL teams. During the session, Kaepernick will perform on-field work to prove he is ready to play in the NFL. The Denver Broncos might be a team interested in him.
Denver may be in the market for a veteran quarterback. Their 1st string quarterback, Joe Flacco, is now on the injured reserved. Flacco didn’t play well in Denver to this point. He tossed for 1,822 yards and 6 touchdowns.
His problem has been interceptions throwing 5 of them. Flacco holds the ball way too long and can’t avoid being sacked with 26. When the pressure comes, Flacco doesn’t look at the whole field and throws the football. Those are easily intercepted. He hasn’t been able to show the ability to be a mobile quarterback and just stands in the pocket instead of trying to scramble to make a play.
Flacco has 2 years guaranteed on his contract. Denver could simply cut him. They would take a cap hit of $13 million next year and $10 million in 2021. With the poor season, Denver is probably moving on from him.
Kaepernick makes sense. Denver wants a mobile quarterback. In the past Kaepernick was a running quarterback and created plays with his legs rushing for 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns. With his arm, Kapernick passed for 12,271 yards with 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
The downside with Kaepernick is what football shape is he in, not only for the Denver Broncos but the entire league. Kaepernick hasn’t played a single down of football since 2016. The workout is just the start for him to show that he is ready for the NFL. This is different than playing against defensive players and reading defenses. If any team is interested, Kaepernick needs to prove he can still play and that will only occur when he is on a roster. Kaepernick is taking a risk.
Denver may not want him. They tried to trade for Kaepernick prior to the 2016 season when Peyton Manning retired. Denver wanted Kaepernick to take a pay cut from his $12.4 million base salary in 2016 and 2017 to $7 million for those years. Kaepernick simply didn’t want to take a pay cut and Denver never pursued acquiring him.
Denver might not be a fit for Kaepernick. They seem set with Drew Lock and Brett Rypien for years to come. They are just going to grow at the NFL level. Hopefully, after this weekend Kaepernick shows he is ready to be back in the NFL.
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