SANTA CLARA — With the 49ers quarterback derby still in its infancy stages, speculation began last week that Chip Kelly may take a chance on recently released quarterback Nick Foles, a player he propped up into success.
Kelly squashed that rumor Monday on the Murph and Mac show, reaffirming his commitment to both Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert.
“I’m a big fan of Nick, but right now, our eggs are in Kap’s and Blaine’s basket,” Kelly said on KNBR 680. “We’re going to see what those guys can do — and very confident in both of those guys. That’s really got nothing to do with Nick, but it’s got a lot to do with both Blaine and Kap in terms of where they are and given them an ample shot at being the quarterback.
“I think if you have three guys in the mix, it gets really diluted, and now you’re not going to get enough reps for anybody to make a determination on who the quarterback is going to be.”
Foles threw 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 2013 for Kelly in Philadelphia, an astonishing display at the time. After a down year in 2014, Kelly surprisingly traded Foles to the Rams for Sam Bradford in the offseason, a move did not work out for either team. In 11 games last season for St. Louis, the 27-year-old Foles threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions before being benched for Case Keenum. The Rams hit the reset button on the quarterback position, trading up to the No. 1 overall pick for Jared Goff.
The conundrum of Foles, and his rapid rise and fall, is why everyone is so interested to see Kelly work with Kaepernick. Kelly was able to squeeze every bit of juice from Foles’ skill set, leading the Eagles to a playoff berth in his first NFL season. All indications are that Gabbert has a leg up on Kaepernick in the competition, but with Kelly in the fold, nothing should be set in stone.
“Obviously everyone around here knows Kap’s athletic ability. Kap’s a big tall quarterback himself. They both can see, they both have extremely strong arms… With all of our quarterbacks, they kind of all fit the mold. They are athletic guys who have big arms.”
Should Kaepernick have a medical setback, Foles would be the logical option. But with the quarterback carousel that is the NFL, it’s unlikely he’ll be on the free agent market for long.