Danny Etling joins a third NFL team since Colin Kaepernick was blackballed.
While Danny Etling joins the Seattle Seahawks, Colin Kaepernick is still without an NFL job.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Etling has been claimed off waivers by Seattle. Etling spent the 2019 NFL season with the New England Patriots initially before ending the year with the Atlanta Falcons. The former Purdue Boilermakers and LSU Tigers quarterback is starting to collect jerseys like he’s the next Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown or someone. But what about Kaepernick?
Why did the Seattle Seahawks sign Danny Etling over Colin Kaepernick?
By no means is it Etling’s fault Kaepernick hasn’t had an NFL job since he last played for the 2016 San Francisco 49ers. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has said before he views Kaepernick as a starter in this league and not as a backup, which is what Etling is viewed as throughout NFL circles.
Since transferring to LSU from Purdue, Etling is best known for being the Bayou Bengals’ quarterback before Joe Burrow arrived in 2018, as well as winning a Super Bowl as a rookie as the third-stringer on the Patriots. Etling went to Atlanta once their third-stringer Kurt Benkert succumbed to a season-ending injury last year, backing up Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub in 2019.
Now that Benkert is healthy, Etling was deemed expendable and was picked up by the Seahawks on waivers. Etling’s best skill set is probably his mobility. He’s got good feet and can pick up a first down or two with his legs when a play breaks down. However, he’s never been adept at reading the field and he often holds onto the ball too long to do much of anything in the passing game.
So because he can scramble and the Seahawks play the Falcons in Week 1 this year, it’s only logical he was signed by Seattle on Tuesday. Kaepernick was never really considered as a clipboard holder in the Pacific Northwest. Will he get his opportunity to compete for a backup job this year? We’ll have to wait and see if that happens.
While Etling collects a new jersey, Kaepernick still only has one NFL team he’s ever played for.