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Predicting 49ers 2016 Depth Chart Before Training Camp

By Peter Panacy

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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Sep 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick (7) and Blaine Gabbert (2) on the field before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 43-18. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick (7) and Blaine Gabbert (2) on the field before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 43-18. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Quarterback

Starter: Blaine Gabbert

Backup: Colin Kaepernick

Finally, the slide 49ers fans have been waiting for.

And yes, Blaine Gabbert gets the nod at quarterback.

Not long ago, NFL analyst Mike Silver (h/t Dan Hanzus of NFL.com) stated Gabbert was the “heavy favorite” to earn the starting role under head coach Chip Kelly this season.

It’s an argument backed up by Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier, who wrote:

"Gabbert wins, folks. Don’t bother tracking completion percentages during training camp. None of this will likely mean anything in the end this season, because the 49ers don’t have the talent to reach .500, and neither Gabbert nor Kaepernick looks like a long-term solution for the organization."

“But Kaepernick has the higher ceiling,” you say. Perhaps, but one has to recognize Kap has a far longer road to travel in order to secure his once-solid starting job again.

While Gabbert, statistically, didn’t completely distance himself from Kaepernick last season, Kelly is the kind of head coach who is capable of turning underachieving or unknown quarterbacks into something useful.

Remember, former Philadelphia Eagles QB Nick Foles was a relatively unknown guy before Kelly took over and turned Foles into a 2013 Pro Bowler.

Neither Kaepernick nor Gabbert will likely be heading to the Pro Bowl this season, but all the signs are still pointing towards the 49ers tabbing the latter as their guy to helm the offense at the beginning of 2016.

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Good idea? Bad idea? As Tanier said, this doesn’t appear to be a “long-term solution” anyway for San Francisco.

There are additional reasons for this. As Silver noted in Hanzus’ article, Gabbert already appears to have won over the locker room, and Kaepernick’s strained relationship with the front office probably doesn’t help matters either.

So, barring any incredulous turn of events in training camp and the preseason, Kaepernick will likely be holding the clipboard in Week 1.

Next: Predicting Each 49ers Rookie's Role in 2016

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