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10 Areas of Hope, Concern for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016

By Peter Panacy

Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. San Francisco beat Dallas 28-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. San Francisco beat Dallas 28-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) take the field for warmups prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) take the field for warmups prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

Colin Kaepernick vs. Blaine Gabbert

Yes, the 49ers have two starting-caliber quarterbacks on their roster. It’s a luxury not afforded to most NFL franchises around the league. In most cases, there’s the No. 1 guy and a backup teams hope they’ll never have to use.

Quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert will be battling it out for the starting job this season.

The No. 1 spot may be Gabbert’s for now — not surprising considering he’s the incumbent starter and didn’t have to wait for medical clearance to practice at OTAs and minicamp. But Kaepernick was once at his best when he competed with former 49ers QB Alex Smith back in 2012.

And when Kap took over, Smith was looking right over his shoulder.

Room for Hope

As touted in the previous slide, head coach Chip Kelly should be able to make either signal-caller work this season. Both quarterbacks have their respective strengths and weaknesses, but Kelly is the type of coach capable of maximizing either guy’s impact.

Remember, Kelly turned a relatively unknown quarterback in Nick Foles into a Pro Bowler in 2013 with the Eagles.

Better scheming, play-calling and execution should be a focal point for the 49ers this year. And each quarterback’s unique skill set offers up reasons why San Francisco’s passing game should improve in 2016.

Room for Concern

Neither Gabbert or Kaepernick is an ideal fit for a Kelly-based offense though. Gabbert may be trending upward, after his career-best year in 2015, but are last year’s numbers a peak or plateau for the former first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars? Should we realistically expect a drastic improvement? Or should we assume Gabbert is simply who he is at this stage in his career?

And Kaepernick, despite all the hope he can resurrect his career, is still trending in the opposite direction. Unlike Gabbert, Kap has to prove he can turn things around before making the long climb back up.

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Oh, and we can’t forget the lack of weapons surrounding whichever quarterback the 49ers start in 2016. There should be a bit of a running game to help out, but opposing defenses know that too.

They also know San Francisco is hurting for offensive playmakers.

This might hurt. A lot.

At best, the 49ers find one of these two quarterbacks to be the guy they want moving forward. At worst, San Francisco is taking a new look at this position and, likely, considering a move to draft a signal-caller very early in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Next: State of the 49ers Franchise for July 2016

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.