We’ve reached day seven of the Colin Kaepernick arm saga.
A quick recap — Thursday the 49ers told us it was a scheduled day of rest for Kaepernick, Friday the quarterback confirmed it was arm soreness, Sunday the team held him out of the preseason opener, Tuesday he did not throw at practice inside Levi’s Stadium and on Wednesday in Denver, he briefly threw short passes off to the side, according to reporters in attendance.
On Monday, we published an interview with Dr. Selene Parekh, an orthopedic surgeon and medical professor at Duke University,
Dr. Parekh had serious concerns about why the 49ers allowed Colin Kaepernick to take on a full work load (86-102 throws per day in training camp) after three surgeries. Dr. Parekh said the team was, at the very least, partially at fault for the current discomfort the quarterback is feeling in his throwing arm.
49ers GM Trent Baalke addressed Kaepernick’s status with reporters in Denver on Wednesday. He wasn’t interested in rehashing why the 49ers were careless with Kaepernick’s health, and continued to downplay the severity of the injury.
“Hindsight is always 20-20,” Baalke said, according to CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “This isn’t a case of, ‘Who made the mistake?’ A young man went out and his arm is tired. Rather than push it any further, just back it down and give him a little time to rest it. . We don’t have to be ready to play a game just yet. This is preseason football. You take care of each other during this time to get into the season as healthy and prepared as we can be.”
Reporters on the scene in Denver noted that Baalke wouldn’t confirm a report of a “dead arm” for Kaepernick, something ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted on Monday.
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, who did not play Sunday night, is dealing with what two sources called “a dead arm.” SF hopes strength back soon.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 15, 2016
Ian Rapoport tweeted Kaepernick is doubtful to play Saturday against the Broncos.
His battle with soreness continues. Appears doubtful for preseason Game 2. https://t.co/kTXdgRIIBB
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 16, 2016
As we mentioned on Tuesday, Kaepernick actually has the upper hand if he loses the quarterback competition. The 49ers’ first three games come against the Rams, Panthers and Seahawks — and there will be clearly an adjustment period for Blaine Gabbert and the entire offense running Chip Kelly’s system. All of a sudden, if the 49ers are sputtering at 1-4, a healthy Kaepernick can come off the bench in a much better position to succeed.