Los Angeles Chargers, Colin Kaepernick would be great short-term pairing

The Los Angeles Chargers would be interested in working out Colin Kaepernick.

Quarterback has been in focus for the Los Angeles Chargers throughout the 2020 offseason. They let Philip Rivers walk in free agency then, after standing behind Tyrod Taylor as their starter, selected Justin Herbert with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Now they could continue that path with a huge name on the market, one Colin Kaepernick.

Amidst the recent outcry from the Black Lives Matter movement, the NFL has starkly changed its tune regarding the former 49ers quarterback. Commissioner Roger Goodell even stated that he would “encourage” teams to sign Kaepernick. Thus, that has been a topic of discussion recently, which teams should sign the signal-caller. And Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn added his team to that conversation on Wednesday.

When speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lynn stayed open to the idea of bringing in Kaepernick for a workout, calling him a good fit for what the Chargers want to do on offense:

Lynn later added that they have not yet reached out to Kaepernick yet but is “on a workout list”. But with Taylor, Herbert and 2019 fifth-round pick Easton Stick on the roster, how would the free-agent quarterback fit in Los Angeles — or would he at all?

Colin Kaepernick only works as a short-term option for Chargers

In his assessment of how Colin Kaepernick would fit with the Chargers, Lynn is right in that it would work well. Based on the last time we saw him with the 49ers, his combination of mobility with the ability to excel with open and talented pass-catchers works well with the personnel on the Bolts roster.

Moreover, the presence of Taylor as the presumed starter also works in Kaepernick’s favor as well. Considering that Kaepernick has been out of the NFL for the past three years, there is going to be some rust when he takes the field. Bringing him in as depth behind Taylor would allow him to shake some of that off.

That would also be ideal for the Chargers. Though Herbert is a talented rookie, by my estimation and the opinions of many others, the Oregon product isn’t ready to see the field anytime soon. The same can be said of Stick, who was even more raw coming out of college. Subsequently, Kaepernick would give LA a viable backup that could take the field in 2020 and capitalize on a highly talented roster that could make the playoffs.

Having said all of that, the presence of Herbert puts a shelf life on how long having Kaepernick on the roster would be viable. A franchise doesn’t take a quarterback inside the top 10 for him to not be given the keys sooner rather than later. Assumedly, that will start to fully take shape in the 2021 season after being given a year to develop further in an NFL system.

When that happens, having Kaepernick doesn’t make as much sense. The Chargers would then have their young franchise quarterback and a veteran backup such as Taylor behind him. There isn’t as much of a need for a high-end backup, to put it as plainly as possible.

Even still, if the Chargers do end up bringing in Colin Kaepernick for a workout and he shows that he’s still got juice in the tank, signing him would make sense for the 2020 season. What happens beyond that is much more in question but, for a player who has been searching for a job for so long now, getting back into the NFL is a big start in itself.