The Buffalo Bills quarterback room is full with four players. However, there may still be some concern if any of the reserves can shoulder the load for an elongated time period if starter Josh Allen were to miss substantial time.
Several big names are still available on the free-agent market, including former MVP and Carolina connection, Cam Newton.
With the recent prominence of social justice within the news, another name has come to the forefront with speculative analysts: Colin Kaepernick. Mike Sando of The Athletic views Buffalo as one of the “best fits” for the former San Francisco signal-caller.
Here’s the The Athletic’s breakdown:
Matt Barkley is backing up Josh Allen. Kaepernick could be seen as another version of Allen in that both are athletic quarterbacks with concerns over throwing accuracy. Barkley has 10 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions with a 2-5 record in seven career starts, including a 41-10 victory over the Jets in his lone Buffalo start, in 2018.
The Bills were grouped among 10 teams that “should pursue Kaepernick.” The New England Patriots were the other AFC East team mentioned in this category.
Before people get crazy about debated whether Kaepernick should be mentioned in the same breath as the Bills, let’s quickly explore the criteria the assessment. The teams that “should pursue Kaepernick” are teams that have “current backup quarterbacks have never enjoyed significant success in the league (unlike Kaepernick) and do not seem to be likely starters in the future. It’s also not clear how good these teams’ current starters might become.”
This is intriguing but most likely, not realistic for the Buffalo market. When he last played in Orchard Park while taking a knee during the national anthem to bring light to social injustices, Bills fans did not welcome him. The interesting idea is that Kaepernick and Allen seem to have a similar skill set, one that could transition if the team were to be forced to play the back-up due to an Allen injury.
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since 2016. In six seasons with the 49ers, the former second-round pick has a 28-30 record as a starter, while throwing 72 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions, and averaging 177.8 passing yards per game.
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