Report: 49ers bench Colin Kaepernick, will start Blaine Gabbert

The San Francisco 49ers have reportedly benched Colin Kaepernick and will be going with Blaine Gabbert, for now

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula said that everyone on the team would be evaluated after they fell to 2-6 on the season following their loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. That did indeed mean that quarterback Colin Kaepernick would be on that list as well. His evaluation has apparently ended, and in what might come as a shock to some, he will be hitting the bench and Blaine Gabbert will be the signal going forward.

While this decision may come as a shock to some, there are others out there who might not be as shocked with this news, given the way that he has played this season. As the 49ers have limped their way to that 2-6 record, Kaepernick has thrown for just 1,615 yards with just six touchdowns. He’s struggled with turnovers mightily, throwing five interceptions and fumbling the ball five times.

Once thought of as the franchise player of this team, Kaepernick has taken quite the fall to this point. This young man led the team to two NFC title game appearances, winning one of them. Now, he will be sitting on the bench for the foreseeable future.

Kaepernick took this team over in 2012 when then starter Alex Smith suffered a concussion and he ran away with the job, allowing then head coach Jim Harbaugh to not only give him the keys to the car, but let Smith walk in the process. All seemed well, well enough for the team to reward him with a lucrative deal. However, last year we began to see some signs of regression, and this years those signs were lit in neon with his play.

There’s no telling what the future holds now for one of the more promising players of this decade, but he’ll have some time to think about it, that much we know now.

The 49ers take on the Falcons at home this Sunday, which will be Gabbert’s first start.