Ravens have Kaepernick on radar
Joe Flacco’s back ailment could give Colin Kaepernick an opportunity to land back in the NFL.
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that with his starting quarterback expected to miss at least a week of training camp with a disc issue, the team is exploring signing Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers.
Harbaugh said he has been speaking throughout the summer with Kaepernick, who remains unsigned after a season in which he kneeled during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice.
“I’ve known Colin through my brother [ former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh] for many years,” Harbaugh said. “And we talked and then got to know him very well when he scrimmaged here. . . . We had some great conversations on the phone, and it’s really been a pleasure to talk to him and get to know him. I like history and politics, too, and we’ve had some debates, and it’s been fun. And he’s a great guy.
“We’ll see what happens with that. Only speculation right now. He’s a really good football player, and, like I said, I do believe he’ll be playing in the [ NFL] this year.”
Kaepernick, a second- round pick in 2011, first rose to fame the next year under Jim Harbaugh, leading the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII, which the Ravens won. Greg Roman, Kaepernick’s offensive coordinator with the 49ers from 2011 to 2014, now is the Ravens’ senior offensive assistant and tight ends coach.
Backup Ryan Mallett and Dustin Vaughan are the only two quarterbacks besides Flacco on the Ravens’ roster.