5 quarterbacks Redskins should consider signing after Alex Smith injury

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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 24: Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

3. QB Colin Kaepernick

I know some of you won’t like this suggestion, but politics aside, Kaepernick is one of the most talented quarterbacks available on the free agent market. If the Redskins were serious about finding the best available player to fill the void behind McCoy, Kaepernick would certainly get a call.

The last time that Kaepernick played in the NFL was in 2016. He started a majority of the season for the 49ers and posted solid stats. He completed 59.2 percent of his passes for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four picks while adding 468 yards and two scores on the ground. However, despite the solid stats, there were some concerns about his performance.

For starters, Kaepernick went 1-10 in his 11 starts. He couldn’t get the 49ers to win. While that doesn’t fall squarely on him, that does play a role in his evaluation. That said, the bigger problem was that he had trouble throwing the ball consistently, as evidenced by his sub-60 percent completion rate. He just misfired too often when targeting his receivers, and that made him look more like a top-tier backup than a legitimate NFL starter.

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There’s no reason that Kaepernick should be unsigned at this point. It seems that he and the NFL have reached an impasse, especially with Kaepernick suing the league for collusion. But quarterback is still the most important position in the league, and he is better than a good chunk of the backups in the league. I mean, Nathan Peterman was still on the Bills just a couple weeks ago. If you want to argue that he’s better than Kaepernick, go ahead. But I doubt the tape will back you up.

You could make the mistake that he’s been out of action since 2016 as a potential roadblock for him, but by that virtue, many of the other QBs on this list haven’t seen significant action in years either. Even the Redskins new starter, McCoy, hadn’t thrown a pass in a non-preseason game since 2015 until today. And his last start? That came in 2014. So, I believe that point is moot (provided that Kaepernick has stayed in playing shape).

For the Redskins, Kaepernick would be a solid option as the backup. He is mobile and would be able to provide something different to the team in the event that McCoy went down. He would make more mistakes and turn the ball over more than Smith, but he has the elusiveness and athletic ability needed to be a playmaker and create a really good ground-and-pound offense. And that could help the team improve offensively and make a run at the NFC East crown.

Still, it doesn’t seem that the Redskins will reach out to Kaepernick. This isn’t a major surprise, but if they settle on an inferior option, that would be a mistake. Kaepernick could at least be a solid backup and potential gadget weapon to help the squad, but it’s unlikely that Dan Snyder and company will even consider him.

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