The controversial former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be holding a private tryout this weekend with a few teams, including the Redskins, being in attendance to see whether they will offer him a contract or not. Some would not be happy to see him play because of what he did in the past, but that should NOT be a factor into the team's decisions of whether to sign him or not because that is not football related and it doesn't have anything to do with his football abilities. So this article will look at whether the Redskins should hire his services.
Why They Should
He brings dynamism
Kaepernick is known to have a strong arm and is very mobile. He is also very big at 6'4" which makes it easier for him to get a better view of the field and is a harder quarterback to tackle. All of those reasons could help in certain situations on the field as having that skill set could be beneficial to the Redskins. Heck, they could get creative by using his dynamism like the New Orleans Saints use Taysom Hill.
He's been in a winning culture
Kaepernick has actually played in a situation where the team had a winning culture and that could rub off on his teammates in what is a very dysfunctional one. That could be beneficial to the product on the field. The Redskins need some winning pedigree and he has it.
He's been successful before
One of the reasons why he was starting quarterback for as long as he did was because of his ability to knowing how to win. It also helped that he had a collection of great talent around him, but you know how to work with the talent to win games and clearly he did. Otherwise, would San Francisco really have been where they had been without him being the quarterback?
Why They Shouldn't
He's 32
It's no secret football players normally have short careers and with how brutal of a sport it is, if you're still playing into your 30s where the body has taken such a toll and is a time when athletic abilities tend to decline, then Kaepernick probably might not be worth that gamble. If he was playing almost any other sport, then it might be worth it, but with how physical football is and the almost certain decline in athletic ability, he might not have it anymore.
Is he in "football" shape?
Kaepernick talks about how well in shape he is, which is great, but is he in "football" shape? Having not played in a football game for three years will really hurt his chances as he might not be able to come in and perform well having not had any reps. There's a reason why training camp and the preseason exists, to get their players back into that "football" shape after the offseason. Had he played in the CFL or AAF, then it might be a different story.
He lacked consistency the last time out on the field
The numbers suggest that he was a consistent player, but the tape didn't lie in 2016. He clearly was not consistent enough to be a starting quarterback anymore. Plain and simple, so what makes people think he could go out on the field and bring consistency?
Case Keenum and Colt McCoy are better backup choices
Keenum has actually had more playing time the last couple of seasons as a starter for the Vikings, Broncos, and Redskins, plus his arm is really good as he can throw very far. McCoy has been with the team since 2014 as he understands the offense really well which makes him more suited to run it. This is a really simple point to make.
Verdict: No. If this was last season and after all those injuries, then yes, I would have said absolutely as he clearly was a better option than Josh Johnson or even Mark Sanchez. That being said, all the reasons listed for no greatly outweighs the yes'. If this was in April, then absolutely, but it's too late in the season for this. He might be a good backup player with his skillset and such, but he's a backup at best at this point in his career. He is willing to be in that role, but it might be hard to find a spot for him the roster anyways.
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