5 teams that should trade for Colin Kaepernick
By James Dudko
4. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns already have a dual-threat quarterback in Washington Redskins castoff Robert Griffin III. But the Browns shouldn’t pin too many hopes for a long overdue era of success with RG3.
He can’t stay healthy, and has perhaps more work than Kaepernick to prove he can make reads and be accurate at the NFL level. So it would make sense to have competition the Browns could count on.
Josh McCown and Cody Kessler are the current backups. Neither could run the moving pocket offense head coach Hue Jackson will likely rely on with Griffin. But Kaepernick could.
Jackson has established a reputation as a particularly innovative play-caller. He’s not shy about manipulating pre-snap alignments and using his players in increasingly creative ways. Remember all those O-linemen lining up in the slot for Jackson’s Cincinnati Bengals offense last season?
Jackson would surely have a particularly varied box of tricks in store if he had to use Kaepernick. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jackson deploy Kaepernick in a slash-style role similar to the one Kordell Stewart made famous with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late nineties.
Kaepernick has the athleticism and versatility to fit Jackson’s elaborate playbook, along with his fondness for gadget plays.
Next: 3. Miami Dolphins