In case you have been living under a rock for the last three months, but former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is still without a team.
Some can call it a case of being blacklisted by NFL coaches, general managers, owners and fans for his controversial decision to protest the national anthem in the form of kneeling, has seen the likes of forgettable backups such as Austin Davis, Blaine Gabbert and Chase Daniel find new homes in Arizona, Seattle and New Orleans, and otherwise serviceable week-to-week starters such as Mike Glennon, Brian Hoyer, Nick Foles, Brian Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown ink starter-quality contracts with new teams.
What is wrong with this picture?
Let’s be honest here. It IS because of his “protest’ that QB-needy teams such as Chicago, San Francisco, Kansas City and New York have passed on Kaepernick, while teams in need of a quality backup to an already-established starter such as New Orleans, Arizona and Seattle also passed.
It’s not due to his 3-16 record, completion percentage of 59.8 percent, but it is due to his “anti-American” stance of darting to exercise his First Amendment rights of free speech. I’m no fan of Kaepernick, nor his controversial decision of not voting, despite telling everyone to do so, bottom line is that he did a lot of the things that are effecting him now to himself.
Back to football, while almost every team is seemingly set at QB—including my perennially QB-needy Browns—there is one team who might be able to use Kapernick’s skill set.
The Dallas Cowboys. Yes! America’s Team.
Can you imagine the prospect of seeing the NFL’s most unwanted quarterback playing for it’s most disliked and controversial brand in a uber-DEEP red, flag-waving patriotic and proud state of Texas. Per long-time Kaepernick critic, Jason Whitlock of FS1’s “Speak For Yourself”?, but the idea of Kaepernick playing Jerryworld isn’t such a bad idea.
This is the franchise that has a billion-dollar villa of a stadium owned by perhaps the league’s most powerful owner in Jerry Jones, with a fanbase that is universally reviled outside of the Metroplex. And they sign Kapernick?
The Cowboys are known for making big headlines, whether it is their OTHER former quarterback retiring to join the broadcast booth, or adding to their 20-plus years of playoff failures, you love to hate the Cowboys.
This is the franchise that had Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory, Terrell Owens, Roger Staubach, Tony Romo and Deion Sanders wear their fabled star helmet. If there is one thing that Jones loves more than winning, making money and Super Bowls is headlines.
Lots of them. Adding Kaepernick to a lightning rood of a franchise such as the Cowboys would be the ultimate cherry on top.
While other teams aren’t built to deal with distractions caused by its own personnel, Dallas is the only NFL franchise that is seemingly immune to them and actually embraces it. It may seem far-fetched now, but for a team that is just coming off a 13-3 season with a second-year QB in Dak Prescott going into a year of Super Bowl expectations, having someone like Kaepernick wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Below are my three reasons why Kapernick and America’s Team are a perfect fit.
Quality backup to Dak Prescott: With a depth chart that consists of Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore, Kaepernick is easily better than both and thanks to his past Super Bowl experience, will provide a quality sounding board for Prescott.
Ability to expand Dallas’ playbook with zone-reads, Option to be creative on offense: While Prescott is mobile and can run the zone read option. A Cowboys backfield of Kaepernick and Ezequiel Elliott would be downright scary.
Experienced NFL vet, who can step in if Prescott hits the “sophomore slump”: Barring a potential season-ending injury or heaven forbid a quarterback controversy if Prescott were to struggle, but Kaepernick would be able to step in a game or two if needed.
One thing about Dallas is that the Cowboys are a walking soap opera that has dealt with numerous controversies rather easily, and a potential Kaepernick-Prescott would just be another day down in Valley Ranch.
How bout them Cowboys!