SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The quarterback battle between Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick continues to tilt away from the one-time wonderboy who led this franchise to its last Super Bowl.
During Friday’s joint practices with the Houston Texans, Gabbert took all the first-teams snaps. Kaepernick, afflicted with what first-year head coach Chip Kelly described as “soreness” and “arm fatigue,” threw no passes, but did stand behind the offense taking mental reps, reading the defense, going through his progression, and, on one snap—a fumble following a botched exchange between Gabbert and Shane Draughn, serving as a highly creditable free safety, running down Texans corner Kareem Jackson to prevent the scoop-and-score.