Kaepernick Could Still Be Brought In If Salary Requirements Match
With the Ravens ringing in the new football season with their first week of camp, questions regarding the team's slew of recent injuries -- and who could potentially brought in to help -- dominated the discussion.
In the wake of the team losing CB Tavon Young, TE Dennis Pitta and RB Kenneth Dixon for the season all before camp broke, news of Joe Flacco's apparent back injury felt initially like another blow.
Reports vary on the timetable for return, but Flacco and Head Coach John Harbaugh are hopeful the injury shouldn't keep the starting quarterback out of practice for more than a week or so.
Harbaugh and several players mentioned the positives that new Director of Performance Steve Saunders has brought to the team, as the team looks to strengthen its durability. The physical reliability of newcomers Brandon Carr and rookie Marlon Humphrey also was highlighted by many as an important factor for a defense with high expectations. However, the early signs from camp haven't been encouraging on the injury front.
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When it comes to Flacco, the short-term answer seems to be rest. Despite his eagerness to get back on the field, he knows that it's better to sit out now than to have the problem linger into the regular season. That doesn't make it any less frustrating.
"It's just one of those things where you have to be patient and not let your competitive nature get the best of you," Flacco said. "And I'm talking about everyone - myself, everybody. I want to be out there more than anybody and it's tough to be sitting in the training room while everything is going on."
However, John Harbaugh also recognizes that an injury to your starting Quarterback raises red flags which may necessitate acquisitions from the outside. Friday morning the team announced the signing of former Indoor League QB David Olson, but the story of the week was John Harbaugh floating the possibility of former NFC Champion QB Collin Kaepernick being considered as an addition.
Salary constraints remain an issue and the team is still working under the impression that Flacco will be back in short order, but the coach still spoke to Kaepernick's ability and potential fit in Baltimore.
"You've got to check all those boxes off before you can pull the trigger and do something, and we're in the process of doing that," Harbaugh said. "You've just got to figure all that stuff out and see what's best for your team. Absolutely, he's a good enough player to be here."
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