Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 2016 Head Coaching Vacancies

By Bryan Knowles

How coveted is Jim Tomsula's old job? Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
How coveted is Jim Tomsula's old job? Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) warm up before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) warm up before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Quarterbacks

There’s still some hope that Colin Kaepernick might one day regain the form that led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, but that hope has faded to just a flicker at this point. You can point to the various injuries Kaepernick played through this season before landing on injured reserve and the poor state of the offensive line he was playing behind, but at a certain point, good quarterbacks produce. Kaepernick hasn’t looked like a starting NFL quarterback over the past two seasons, and while he still deserve a spot on some team’s roster and a chance to rehab the potential and talent that’s clearly still there, he should not be guaranteed a starting spot any more.

Blaine Gabbert performed better, but not massively so, and he doesn’t have the track record of success Kaepernick has. Neither quarterback pushed the ball down field, despite the addition of Torrey Smith; both ranked in the bottom 10 of qualified quarterbacks in terms of air yards per pass attempt, per Sporting Charts, which makes Gabbert’s middle-of-the-pack accuracy rating unimpressive and Kaepernick’s terrible accuracy unacceptable. The 49ers best option at quarterback next season might well be a rookie.

At least they’re in a better shape at the position than the Cleveland Browns. Kaepernick might be disappointing, but at least he’s not spending Saturdays before gameday wearing a false mustache in Vegas, like Johnny Manziel allegedly did. The Browns are poised to draft their third first-round quarterback in the last three seasons, and there’s a good chance they won’t even have Manziel on the roster due to his off-field incidents.

If you’re a head coaching prospect, however, the cream of the quarterback crop on the open head coaching jobs is two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning in New York. If you can’t have him, either of this year’s early drafted rookies—Jameis Winston in Tampa Bay or Marcus Mariota in Tennessee—looks pretty enticing, or the still young and improving Ryan Tannehill in Miami. As for Philadelphia, Sam Bradford is a free agent, though the Eagles could likely re-sign him if they wanted to.  Without him, they are left with Mark Sanchez, which at the very least is less appealing.

Verdict: A Year or Two Behind Average

Next: How Does the Roster Look?