Seahawks sign Stephen Morris, officially bypass Colin Kaepernick

The Seattle Seahawks have added a backup quarterback, but not who it probably should be.

On Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks cancelled a postponed workout with Colin Kaepernick. The reason is courting controversy, as Kaepernick’s collusion case against the NFL goes on and with a report he wouldn’t commit to standing during the national anthem.

But the Seahawks still need a backup quarterback, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network they have pivoted quickly and signed Stephen Morris.

Morris went undrafted out of the University of Miami in 2014. He has bounced around with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins on practice squads and via futures contracts. The Redskins signed him to a reserve/futures contract in January, then waived him this past Monday.

Morris has also never thrown a pass in an NFL regular season game, while Kaepernick almost threw the game-winning one in a Super Bowl.

Kaepernick also has not thrown a football in a meaningful way since the the 2016 season, and his most recent play is no better than low-end NFL starter caliber. Backup quarterbacks are best served to stay under the radar, out of the limelight and away from controversy. Right or wrong, Kaepernick’s anthem protest assures he will not fit that bill.

With their general openness to players expressing themselves, and a playing style that would fit well behind Russell Wilson, the Seahawks had lingered as an ideal fit for Kaepernick. Now that they’ve shifted away from him for what is absolutely an inferior option, Kaepernick’s chance to play in the NFL, or even be able to compete for a roster spot, might be gone.

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Kaepernick may not even want to play football. But scheduling a workout with the Seahawks suggests he does, while also not wanting to give up a public display of his cause if circumstances dictate it.