Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Which Quarterback Should Start for Chip Kelly in 2016?

By Bryan Knowles

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 /
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January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) passes the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) passes the football against the St. Louis Rams during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Blaine Gabbert

Let’s not mince words—Blaine Gabbert was a failure in Jacksonville. As the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Gabbert was put in as the regular starter in both of his first two seasons, and set futility records, according to Football Outsiders’ advanced stats. He was benched three games into the 2013 season, and that ended his time as a presumed starter. If you were to re-do the 2011 draft today, Gabbert would be somewhere down in the third round as the 80th or so best player from that draft, behind quarterbacks Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, the retired Jake Locker and Tyrod Taylor.

Of course, we’re not talking about the 2013 Blaine Gabbert starting for the 49ers, but the 2016 version. Gabbert outplayed Kaepernick last season by a not-insignificant margin. He wasn’t “good” by any stretch of the imagination—people who argue that he was are influenced, at least slightly, by the fact that he was a brief breath of fresh air after Kaepernick’s struggles. He was, however, more in the category of “players who should probably be upgraded” rather than “actively harming his team’s chances” like Kaepernick was at times.

Gabbert’s 2015 season was his best in the league, and there’s an argument that perhaps he can bloom in Chip Kelly’s system, given a chance he never really had in Jacksonville. While counting on Blaine Gabbert as a long-term starter is far too optimistic for a player acquisition strategy, it does seem to more prudent to hand the keys to Gabbert than bring in a veteran journeyman, simply from a financial and risk-versus-reward standpoint. If Gabbert reverts to his old self, you put in your second-day quarterback and shrug; Gabbert’s contract is small enough that it’s not a major ordeal to replace him.

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