San Francisco 49ers

Gabbert: Starting job now official his

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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August 26, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) passes the football against Green Bay Packers defensive end Mike Daniels (76) during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Blaine Gabbert was always going to be the San Francisco 49ers’ starting QB. With Colin Kaepernick working his way back from injury, missing the first two preseason games, and struggling both on and off the field, he never truly had a chance. Chip Kelly’s announcement Saturday simply made that official.

Blaine Gabbert will begin the season starting at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

Head coach Chip Kelly made the long-expected announcement on Saturday, officially relegating one-time superstar Colin Kaepernick to the number two position — but at least he got a roster spot.

Christian Ponder is back on an NFL roster, hanging on to the 49ers’ number 3 QB roster spot.

Kelly was diplomatic and not very detailed explaining his decision, per 49ers.com:

“I think (his) whole body of work from April until today. I think his grasp and command of what we’re doing. I think he’s a good fit for what we want to get accomplished, and I have a lot of confidence for what he can do for us offensively.”

Kelly got a little more specific with his criticism of Kaepernick, but in doing so kept the door open for a return from the now-highly controversial QB:

“[He’s] not at the playing weight that he was when he was successful here. He’ll continued to work on that.”

Kelly did note that Kaepernick has not caused any issues for the team — at least as far as Kelly would admit.

Gabbert won the quarterback controversy through a combination of hard work, dedication, consistency, and having an opponent who, often literally, wasn’t there.

Blaine Gabbert is the best choice for the 49ers, however, and likely will be all season. While his preseason was a bit up and down, the 49ers seemed to function much more cleanly with his number two under center.

Kaepernick could yet win the starting job at some point this season, but Gabbert will need to lose it first. That may happen, as the 49ers have the NFL‘s toughest strength of schedule. For now, though, the best QB is under center.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of ESPN.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.