Commentary: Happy birthday, Colin Kaepernick! You’ve been benched

The San Francisco 49ers are a mess.

Three seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance and less than two years since the last of their three straight NFC championship berths, the 49ers are 2-6 and basically starting over.

And if that means benching a guy on his birthday, so be it.

On Monday, Coach Mike Tomsula told reporters, “We’re evaluating everyone.” Later that day, the team traded veteran tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos for sixth-round draft picks in 2016 and ’17.

But the main position everyone was wondering about was quarterback. Would struggling starter Colin Kaepernick keep his job or would the 49ers turn to Blaine Gabbert?

We seemed to get our answer Monday night, as multiple media sources reported that Tomsula was going with Gabbert rather than Kaepernick, who was the team’s starter in Super Bowl XLVII as well as the NFC championship the following year.

As of Tuesday, the 49ers hadn’t given official word on the quarterback situation. Incidentally, it’s Kaepernick’s 28th birthday.

But be that as it may, Kaepernick has definitely regressed the last season and a half, as NFL teams have adjusted to the read-option and forced him to attempt to become a more traditional pocket passer. This year, he’s completed 59.3% of his passes with six touchdowns and five interceptions for a 78.8 passer rating.

Plus, his play has been less than inspiring, and there have been reports that he’s lost the support of at least some of his teammates.

But is benching him in favor of a guy who was 5-22 as the starter in Jacksonville the right move?

Well, the 49ers seem to be looking for a spark of any kind. Might as well find out if Gabbert is the guy to give it to them.