49ers vs. Chargers: 5 Players to Watch for San Francisco

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Aug 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) walks off the field after the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 19-12. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick

All eyes are going to be on embattled quarterback Colin Kaepernick during Thursday’s game anyway.

Cameras will assuredly be rolling if and when Kaepernick sits down to protest the national anthem. It’s a move that has already generated plenty of discussion and controversy regarding freedom of speech, patriotism, injustice and racism in this country.

That alone is a major storyline. But there’s another one to watch here.

Despite head coach Chip Kelly noting Kap was one of the two best quarterbacks on the roster — the other being Blaine Gabbert — there’s still a very real chance Kaepernick doesn’t make the 53-man group at all to start the season.

Simply put, Kaepernick was awful during his preseason debut against the Packers last week. And him missing all of OTAs and a good chunk of minicamps didn’t help things either.

Is Kaepernick rusty? Sure. But the bigger question is whether or not he’ll ever be capable of rediscovering the magic that made him one of the bigger NFL threats not so long ago. Signs aren’t pointing to this happening.

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Tack on the protests, and the 49ers are going to be asking themselves whether or not Kap is worth keeping around for the long run.

It’s doubtful the Niners would ever release him based on his sociopolitical feelings alone, but the locker room distraction can’t be a good thing either.

Maybe, just maybe, a rebound performance against the Chargers helps his cause.

On the field, that is.

Next: Implications of WR Bruce Ellington's Injury

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