There will be several teams in attendance for quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s work out this coming Saturday in Atlanta, but the Dallas Cowboys will not be one of them. The league has organized, to use the term lightly as details have unfolded, a showcase for Kaepernick to be viewed by NFL franchises and have a chance to be interviewed.
This is according to a Friday interview with owner Jerry Jones on 105.3 the Fan.
“That’s not correct. We’re not going to have anybody there. We’ll basically. You know, those are taped and we’ll look at the tape if we need information there. We really like where we are with our quarterback. We’ve got some very young quarterbacks and that’s the way we think to bring anything up behind Dak is to do it with young ones like we’re doing. So, we won’t be there.”
The Cowboys were first reported to have been attending, but as things have been fleshed out since the initial announcement, it turns out not to be the case.
The real question is whether or not this entire process is anything more than PR stunt to rehabilitate the image of not the player, but of rapper and mogul Jay-Z whose image took a hit when partnering with the NFL.
Dan says he is hearing Jay-Z pressured NFL to hold Kaepernick workout. Because Jay-Z felt his reputation took a hit from joining NFL.
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 15, 2019
The entirety of this process seems farcical. In what’s going to be essentially a job interview, Michael Silver is reporting that even Kaepernick has no idea who his receivers will be come Saturday.
As of last night @Kaepernick7 did not know who they will have him throwing to… the interviews, with team officials, will be combine-style interactions that could include work on a white board. The workout will also be combine-style. Much of this is a mystery to him. Not ideal. https://t.co/BBqBS10Z35
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) November 14, 2019
I believe this. It helps explain why the terms of the workout keep changing & are disorganized. It also shows the @NFL isn’t really interested in giving Kap a shot. This is a PR stunt to pacify Jay. It ends up making Jay look worse. Why didn’t Jay give Kap a heads up? 🤔 https://t.co/CUt8jZJwk0
— April (@ReignOfApril) November 15, 2019
The league has taken hits for the lack of organization, including scheduling the workout for a Saturday when the entire league is less than 24 hours away from their coaching staffs being involved in regular season games.
Kaepernick may or may not be able to help an NFL team. It’s almost certain he would have a hard time doing so this year after not playing a down since 2016. But other quarterbacks who have never displayed the kind of ceiling he had in his time with the San Francisco 49ers have been given far more chances, including Josh Johnson who hadn’t thrown a pass in a regular season game since 2011 before being signed by the Washington Redskins last season.
To this point, there have been 51 different quarterbacks who have started a game through 10 weeks of the NFL season.
In Dallas, the incumbent backup quarterback is Cooper Rush.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett on not sending someone Colin Kaepernick's workout: We like our young guys. We feel good about our young guys.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 15, 2019
He has attempted three passes in the entirety of his three year career. Despite how green he is, it’s not hard to imagine the Cowboys letting him play out the string on a season that would be likely doomed if quarterback Dak Prescott sustained an injury. But it’s not wise. There is exactly one quarterback available who isn’t getting calls when disaster strikes a team, and it’s not about his ability on the field.
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