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San Francisco 49ers: Full Prediction of 53-Man Roster in 2016

By Bryan Knowles

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly addresses the media in a press conference after being introduced as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly addresses the media in a press conference after being introduced as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. 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

Starter: Blaine Gabbert
Reserves: Colin Kaepernick, Jeff Driskel
On the bubble: Thad Lewis

Will Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick be under center when the season begins?  Your guess is really as good as mine at this point in time.  Grant Cohn reports that the 49ers may be internally pulling for Gabbert to win the competition, using the lack of photos of Kaepernick on the 49ers’ webpage as evidence.  As an indicator, this isn’t exactly a smoking gun, but at this point in the offseason, we’re grasping at straws.  Kaepernick has been cleared to resume throwing, and should be ready for mandatory minicamp in June, so that’s when the competition really will kick off—the first honest-to-god quarterback competition the 49ers have had since the Alex Smith-J.T. O’Sullivan-Shaun Hill competition in 2008.  Either way, both should easily make the final roster.

Chip Kelly likes keeping three quarterbacks on the roster, while Baalke isn’t as big of a fan.   Rookie Jeff Driskel and journeyman Thad Lewis will compete to fight for the right to claim a potential third QB slot.  Lewis hasn’t played in an NFL game since five games as Buffalo’s starter in 2013, but he does have a year in Kelly’s system—could his familiarity edge out Driskel?  I’m betting against it.  Another factor to keep in mind, however, is that Driskel can be placed on the practice squad; Lewis cannot.  If the two essentially tie in the competition, that could be a deciding factor to keep Lewis on the 53-man at the expense of Driskel.  Something to keep an eye on in the third and fourth quarter of preseason games this season.

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