Report: Cleveland Browns in running to acquire Colin Kaepernick

The Cleveland Browns are once again being linked to quarterback Colin Kaepernick – which is still a very bad idea.

The Cleveland Browns, fresh off seeing four starters walk away in free agency, are reportedly interested in acquiring quarterback Colin Kaepernick from the San Francisco 49ers.

As if things were not bad enough for the franchise.

The Browns are in “competition” with the Denver Broncos (considered by many as the favorites) and New York Jets for the services of Kaepernick, who was a starter on San Francisco’s Super Bowl team in 2012 but was also benched in 2015 for Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick’s agents requested a trade last month and the 49ers may be eager to move on as the quarterback’s $11.9 million base salary for 2016 becomes guaranteed on April 1.

The 49ers reportedly want a second-round pick for Kaepernick, but may be willing to accept a third-round pick to get out from under his contract, which for the 2016 season carries a cap hit of $15.8 million.

While Kaepernick is a name that people have heard of, there is one problem:

Then there’s this Monday Morning Quarterback’s Andy Benoit:

"Kaepernick is slow to process coverages (when he processes them at all) and doesn’t have a great feel for moving around in the pocket. Kaepernick can be hard to catch when he runs around, but too many of his run-around plays are fruitless because they never should have been run-around plays to start."

"Too often Kaepernick will look to abandon the pocket the instant he reaches the top of his dropback. Coaches hate this because it nullifies the play’s route designs. It can also create pressure where none existed. If you’re breaking down and moving at the top of your drop, the primary place to move is up in a pocket that hasn’t fully formed, putting you closer to interior pass rushers and compromising the room you have for stepping into throws. Or, you can move laterally, out of the pocket, which puts defensive ends in play. Remember, offensive tackles can’t see the quarterback; they’re blocking under the assumption that he’ll be in the pocket. When the quarterback flees, his technique and his blockers’ techniques are likely to break down. Also, the throwing windows and angles are altered, which often leads to minus results."

"All of these flaws speak to an ill understanding of basic progression reads and coverage diagnostics, as well. Because if Kaepernick consistently knew what he was looking at on his dropbacks, there’s no way his pocket poise and decision-making would be so erratic. Adding to this: when Kaepernick does play with patience, he has a tendency to be late with the ball or to flat-out leave open receivers untargeted."

So let’s review. Kaepernick is a quarterback that:

• Lacks the ability to process coverages
• Runs at the first sign of trouble
• Doesn’t understand the basics of going through his progressions
• Makes questionable decisions in the pocket
• Can’t be bothered to throw the ball to open receivers

Sounds like a great option for a team that has to face the defenses of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals twice a year.

Hopefully this is all just noise and someone – the 49ers or Kaepernick’s agents – are just tossing out teams that are in need of a quarterback to create a market to get rid of Kaepernick before they have to pay him.

This is one “sweepstakes,” however, that the Browns should have no interest in winning.

Next: Cleveland Browns: Picking up the Pieces

Free agency is underway – maybe somebody should tell the Browns? – and Cleveland has around $48 million in cap space to spend. Follow Dawg Pound Daily for all the latest news on free agency as the Browns work to rebuild their roster.