The Lions should have Signed Colin Kaepernick in the Offseason

It’s never been a real cause for concern since Matthew Stafford has been impressively durable over the years, but the Lions should have signed Kaepernick in August as an insurance policy.

What should an NFL team expect of a backup quarterback? I’d imagine if you spoke with some of the better teams, they’d expect a backup to operate at a .500 level, keeping the team afloat while their starting quarterback is on the mend. The Lions don’t have a capable backup and haven’t had one since Shaun Hill.

This past summer proved to be a quarterback carrousel throughout the preseason while the teams’ franchise quarterback was where he should be on the sideline in sweats, not risking an injury. We’ve all said it over a morning coffee or at the water cooler, perhaps enjoying a cold one at the pub; if anything happens to Matthew Stafford, our season is over anyway. I do agree with that in a way, but there is no reason not to have a capable backup QB in case a minor injury were to occur.

Look at the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees was sidelined for quite some time with a broken thumb, and Teddy Bridgwater led the Saints to a 5-0 record in the future Hall of Famer’s absence. That was what you’d call overachieving. New Orleans would have been thrilled with a 3-2 record during that span.

More from Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are forced to start Jeff Driskel for a second straight week. He couldn’t beat a limping Bears team, how do you think he will do Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys? Let me answer it for you, not good, not good at all. Detroit would be much better off with a prepared Colin Kaepernick under center tomorrow. The keyword being ‘prepared.’ How can you take a guy that’s been out of football for nearly three years and throw him into the starting lineup, not knowing the teams’ terminology, playbook, etc.?

If any team thinks they can sign Colin this weekend and expect him to start next, is merely simple-minded. The Lions should have signed Kap during the summer rather than trying to use Tom Savage, Josh Johnson, David Fales, and now Jeff Driskel.

Colin Kaepernick would have been a competent backup who could sit behind Matthew Stafford as a high-end insurance policy. Whether you agree with Colin’s stance or not, he’s absolutely a high-end backup NFL quarterback. Stafford entered the season with broken bones in his back that was a lingering injury from last season, why didn’t the Lions have a rock-solid plan B in place?

He’s a much better option than any of the QB’s that have traveled through Allen Park this season. Also, we need to recognize where offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell came from. He worked with Russell Wilson in Seattle, a mobile quarterback. It wouldn’t be difficult for Bevell to adapt from Stafford to Kaepernick in the unfortunate circumstance of an injury occurring.

Although Kaepernick has been out of the game for nearly three years, if he were rostered now, he’d be prepared to play by seasons’ end. I don’t expect anyone to sign him to play this year. A signing team would have asperations of having him around next season.

During his first season removed from the game, it was said he was looking for $20-million per season, that has since been squashed as he’s said he just wants to play even if it’s in a backup role.

It appears the NFL is doing everything in its power to prevent Kap from returning to the game. Usually, players work out for teams on Tuesday’s. Yet, the NFL schedules this open workout for a Saturday knowing head coaches and general managers won’t be able to attend as they prepare for football games the next day. Kudos to Kap for still showing up, proving he is indeed serious about wanting to return to football.

It’s foolish or stubborn to think Colin isn’t an upgrade to the current backup situation in Detroit. He’s a career 60% thrower. He’s played in a Super Bowl and damn near won it. He’s thrown for 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. His career quarterback rating is 89%, he’s also added 2300 rushing yards and accounted for 13 rushing touchdowns. Who wouldn’t want that type of production sitting, waiting, just in case?

Maybe he is washed up, but the fact that he hasn’t had a private workout with a team in quite some time, how do we know for sure? If the Lions worked him out in August while they were searching for a backup QB and didn’t sign him, we’d understand it was either a contract dispute or his skills have diminished. Since that never happened, we can’t just assume he’s got nothing left.

Again, signing Colin now and expecting positive results immediately would be foolish. The correct path to success would have been having him in camp, learning the playbook, and stepping in to play last week in a comfortable setting, not just thrown into the fire.

While I have no issue with the context of his peaceful protest, personally, I’m the guy who was brought up to remove and place my cap over my heart for the National Anthem. I respectfully disagree with taking a knee, but respect him for standing up for something he believes in. Michael Bennett stays in the Dallas locker room until the anthem is complete, which doesn’t come across as a distraction. Possibly a new approach for Colin if he ever does return to the league.

Trending. Firing Matt Patricia Prematurely Would Be a Huge Setback. light

I feel the interview process will be much more critical to interested teams than the workout itself.

Home/Detroit Lions