The most important position on the 49ers offense has been a question mark for much of the offseason. After last night’s final exhibition game, we finally have a relatively clear picture on how the quarterback depth chart is likely to pan out. What follows is a breakdown of the preseason performances for the four quarterbacks currently on the 49ers roster:
Blaine Gabbert: C+
2016 Preseason: 12-of-22, 146 yards, Comp%: 54.5, Yds/Att: 6.6, TD: 1, INT: 0, Rating: 90.3
Rushing: 5-for-33 yards
Gabbert entered the preseason with a leg up on the starting quarterback position, and didn’t do anything to hurt his case in three preseason starts, even if he didn’t exactly set the world on fire. After a forgettable opening performance against Houston, Gabbert showed improvement throughout the preseason, and managed to lead a touchdown drive on his final possession of every game.
For this talent-bereft offense to have any success in 2016, Gabbert will have to manage games in the way Alex Smith did during his best years in San Francisco. Not giving the ball away is the first step towards that, and though the sample size of 22 attempts is small, Gabbert’s zero interception total in three exhibition games is an encouraging sign.
Winning the starting job may prove to be a curse, however, as San Francisco will be facing the ferocious defenses of St. Louis, Carolina and Seattle in the first three weeks. Gabbert will likely be behind center for Week 1, but whether or not he’ll be able to lead the offense down the field is a different story altogether.
Colin Kaepernick: Missed too many days of class to register a grade
2016 Preseason: 13-of-24, 117 yards, Comp%: 54.2, Yds/Att: 4.9, TD: 0, INT: 0, Rating: 67.5
Rushing: 8-for-56 yards
Kaepernick’s roster spot looked to be in serious jeopardy after an abysmal showing against Green Bay last week, where the 28-year-old looked like the inaccurate and uncomfortable quarterback that lost his job in Week 9 last season. Amid controversy, Kaepernick rebounded in sterling fashion Thursday night against San Diego, leading a 16-play, 85 yard opening touchdown drive, and looked rejuvenated after a week in the national spotlight.
Most encouraging perhaps was Kaepernick’s ability to mix successful zone reads with accurate passing from the pocket, something that he’s struggled with for two seasons. Kaepernick wasn’t exactly making high risk throws (he averaged slightly less than five yards per attempt) but with his tendency to miss on short passes in recent years, last night should be seen as a positive step in the right direction regardless.
With only one decent half of preseason action under his belt, and two weeks of crucial practice time missed due to arm fatigue, the sample size is again too small to put Kap in a position to unseat Gabbert as the team’s Week 1 starter. He has, however, likely secured his hold on the backup quarterback position.
As aforementioned, with the 49ers brutal schedule and questionable offensive line, that might actually be the best position long term.
Jeff Driskel: D+
2016 Preseason: 15-of-31, 132 yards, Comp%: 48.4, Yds/Att: 4.3, TD: 0, INT: 2 Rating: 33.3
Rushing: 11-for-103 yards
Before yesterday, there were murmurs that Driskel might be in the running to usurp Kaepernick as the team’s second QB after inspiring performances in his first two appearances. The rookie likely spoiled any goodwill he’d earned, throwing interceptions on his first two attempts and looking out of his element against third string competition in San Diego.
Driskel can only hope that his encouraging start to the preseason, and his ability as a dual-threat, is enough to give him the edge over Ponder should the 49ers decide to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. Practice squad is the most likely scenario.
Christian Ponder: C
2016 Preseason: 16-of-25, 198 yards, Comp%: 64.0, Yds/Att: 7.9, TD: 1, INT: 1 Rating: 85.1
Rushing: 9-for-39 yards, 3 TDs
Ponder seemed to be an afterthought, but finished off the preseason with a solid performance, going 8-of-14 for 101 yards and two rushing touchdowns after Driskel was given the quick hook.
Though he’s been anonymous in recent years, Ponder was once a decent NFL starting quarterback for the Vikings. He has lower upside than Driskel, but assuming last nights game will prove as the deciding factor for who will be the 49ers emergency signal-caller, it seems that Ponder is inarguably the safer choice.