Getty Colin Kaepernick
There has been growing speculation about a potential return to the NFL for Colin Kaepernick. Could the Eagles be the team to sign him?
Kaepernick, who hasn’t played a professional snap since 2016, held an open workout last November and the Eagles were one of seven teams in attendance. No one signed him and the former Super Bowl quarterback remains a free agent. On Wednesday morning, Doug Pederson gave an interesting answer to SportsRadio 94WIP when asked directly about possibly taking a chance on Kaepernick.
“I think it’s something that if a team or even us were in a situation, we would look at all possibilities and scenarios,” Pederson told Angelo Cataldi. “The one thing you have to keep in mind is he hasn’t played in a couple years. That still doesn’t mean he couldn’t come in and be a backup and learn your system and do those types of things for you. It’s not out of the realm or it’s not out of the possibility that could happen.”
The head coach made it clear that he was talking in hypotheticals with his above comments and stated: “I can’t comment on Colin.” Pederson doesn’t make personnel decisions without GM Howie Roseman’s input and a move for Kaepernick — one with far-reaching social implications — would need to be cleared by team owner Jeffrey Lurie.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson joins @AngeloCataldi and the @WIPMorningShow at 9am. #On94WIP🎙️https://t.co/gkUilhHUwm
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) June 17, 2020
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Kaepernick: The Perfect ‘Quarantine’ Quarterback
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians recently threw out the idea of possibly “quarantining” his third quarterback.
It would be a way to protect Tom Brady and the quarterback room from infection over the novel coronavirus. That means the third-stringer wouldn’t participate in meetings or practices; instead, he would basically be on standby in case something happened. Arians has backups Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin on the Bucs roster.
“There’s so much to learn and still explore with this thing, but I’ve thought about keeping the third quarterback on the roster out of the room,” Arians told Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast. “We have two guys that have been in our system, really sharp. So, I might have to quarantine a quarterback just in case of a quarantine.”
Coach @BruceArians thinking ahead in what could be a unique fall. Link in pinned tweet for the entire pod.
It’s a creative and forward-thinking idea to further protect players in this post-pandemic world. For the Eagles, the “quarantine” quarterback would probably have to be Nate Sudfeld since rookie Jalen Hurts can’t afford to sit out. He needs to learn the playbook and get as many reps as he can in.
But, what if the Eagles brought in an outsider? A guy like Kaepernick would make perfect sense. Sign him to the roster, on a cheap one-year deal — and let him work out alone and sit isolated in quarantine. Remember, Kaepernick led the 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2013 so it’s not like he needs much time to adjust. He should be a plug-and-play quarterback, assuming he’s in tip-top physical shape and picks up the playbook.
Pederson on keeping an extra quarterback “quarantined” as a precaution, just in case the QB room gets infected.
“That is definitely something to consider as you move forward to protect the QB position, but at the same time you have to think about the entire roster.” #Eagles
Pederson didn’t comment directly about Kaepernick, but he has entertained the notion of adding a “quarantine” quarterback.
“Obviously there are a lot of ways to go about things, and that’s one way to do it,” Pederson told reporters on Wednesday morning. “If you do it with the quarterback position, do you do it with a receiver, do you do it with a defensive back, something like that. But these are all things that right now, between now and the time we play are really — or I should say the time we get back to training camp, are the scenarios that we need to, as a staff, think through and the possibilities.”
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