Colin Kaepernick is a name that will forever be synonymous with kneeling during the national anthem, NFL collusion, and the fight for racial equality and social justice.
He’s all of these things, yet he’s also a pretty good quarterback that absolutely could still be playing in the NFL.
His days as a starter are probably over, and due to his ongoing case against the league that used to employ him, it’s likely his pro football career is in the bag as well.
The top NFL betting sites aren’t quite done with Kaepernick, though.
I was perusing MyBookie recently, and they offered a slew of 2018 NFL player prop bets. One included who would be the top backup to Derek Carr in Oakland by the time week one rolled around.
Connor Cook and E.J. Manuel are actually on the Raiders’ roster and understandably led the way. However, Jon Gruden has praised Kaepernick in the past, and the former Bay Area resident is still seeking employment, so the +500 price tag he offered was at least worth an eyebrow raise.
I don’t know if Kaepernick is actually going to play again. If I had to guess, I’d say he won’t. However, I do think he can still be of use to some teams.
Should news break that he’s actually being considered, and Colin Kaepernick prop bets become a thing again, be sure to consider the following six NFL franchises.
You know you’re in dire straits when your top guy goes down, and the first guy you call is a washed-up Jay Cutler. That’s what Miami did in 2017 after Ryan Tannehill tore his ACL, and it went about as well as expected.
Kaepernick is probably better than Cutler at this point in both of their careers, and he might not be a bad option if Tannehill struggles or gets hurt again in 2018.
After all, Brock Osweiler, David Fales, and Bryce Petty aren’t exactly great alternatives, and they’re all currently residing in South Beach.
Blake Bortles has proven himself to be a competent starting quarterback in stretches and even looked ready to guide the Jags to the Super Bowl for a second last year.
He could turn a corner in 2018, but two things could be revealed: he’s simply not good enough, or he gets hurt and the spares behind him send a title contender spiraling out of control.
Cody Kessler and Tanner Lee just won’t cut it for a team with aspirations to do anything this season. The Jaguars could do a lot worse than look to Kaepernick as a solution.
Dak Prescott is set in stone as the starter for Big D. He’s one of the more talented dual-threat quarterbacks in the entire league, and by all accounts, his future in the NFL appears to be bright.
Prescott has next to nothing behind him, though. Mike White has some talent, but he’s not ready for the big time, and Cooper Rush probably shouldn’t even be in the league.
What happens if Dak goes down? The Cowboys’ season goes with him. If they had Kaep on hand, that might not be such a given.
Nick Foles looked like one of the best backup quarterbacks in league history last year as he took over for an injured Carson Wentz and led the Eagles to a title.
Just a few months later, he’s looked horrendous during preseason play. That has to have Doug Pederson and company a bit worried in the event Wentz isn’t ready for week one – or worse – he goes down again in 2018.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to trade Foles when he still has value and then sign Kaepernick off the street.
The Saints don’t have an answer behind Drew Brees.
Their quarterback depth chart is so awful that the statuesque Tom Savage is presently listed as their top backup, and running quarterbacks like J.T. Barrett and Taysom Hill are duking it out just to make the roster.
None of that is good. Drew Brees is pushing 40 and is one step closer to a serious injury or retirement. New Orleans, sadly, is zero steps closer to his eventual replacement.
That probably wouldn’t be Colin Kaepernick either way, but he’d absolutely supply them with a short-term solution. Saints fans deserve better than their current crop of clipboard-holders.
Lastly, I have to touch on the Seahawks. There are certainly more teams Kaepernick could fit with or that could use an upgrade under center. However, Seattle is the last one I’d seriously look at.
One main reason? Kaepernick has talked to them in the past, and they’ve thought about bringing him in.
Trevone Boykin was their former backup to Russell Wilson, but nasty off-the-field issues almost certainly ended his career.
Kaepernick fits Wilson’s skill-set, and he’s had connections with the team. There’s also a need for an upgrade behind their top guy. This makes too much sense for both sides.
This isn’t even including the aforementioned Raiders, the Green Bay Packers, or the Denver Broncos.
John Elway said Kaep had his chance, but looking at Denver’s current backup quarterback situation, he probably should reconsider his present take.
Green Bay could have used Kaepernick last year, while Aaron Rodgers has given him his public endorsement in the past. The Raiders wouldn’t view him as a possible starter, but as I touched on, they could use an upgrade behind Carr.
As you can see, the latter is a pretty valid point across the league. The future is bright when you factor in the young signal-callers that entered the NFL via this year’s draft, but there are still a lot of rosters lacking quality backup talent.
To suggest Kaepernick is a distraction is putting it lightly.
That’s the reason he isn’t being brought in to be on someone’s roster, and considering how much media hype and drama comes with that – especially for a backup – I totally get it.
However, he can make your quarterback room and practices better. That, in turn, can make your team better. If your top quarterback goes down, having Kaep to go to in a pinch is a way better option than the majority of the league.
Kaepernick isn’t coming in and unseating veterans like Chad Henne, Blaine Gabbert, Trevor Siemian, Matt Cassel, and a handful of others, but from a sheer talent and production perspective, he probably should.
Again, Kaepernick’s days in the NFL are probably over, and there currently aren’t any hot leads for Kaep fans to hold out hope for. That being said, of this list, the team that constantly stands out is Seattle.
Not only have the Seahawks been tied to Kaepernick in the past, but he mirrors what Russell Wilson does. Should Wilson ever go down, Kaepernick would be a solid replacement. Austin Davis, who happens to be their next guy up at the moment, would not.
I don’t think Kaepernick is coming back anytime soon, but if you find odds for this wager and Seattle is an option, that’s the route I’d go.
The post 6 NFL Teams That Should Totally Sign Colin Kaepernick appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
0 comments:
Post a Comment