ENGLEWOOD, Colo. _ Chip Kelly said Colin Kaepernick would not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Broncos, but the hope is to have him practice in full next week and play against the Packers on Aug. 26.
Kaepernick did some light throwing on a side field Wednesday as he works his way back from muscle fatigue in his right shoulder. He gave his arm a more rigorous workout Thursday, making approximately 45 throws _ including 19 from 25 yards out _ to an equipment manager during the session.
As has been the case over the last week, he did not attempt any throws during formal drills. When he took snaps in team sessions, it was on running plays.
"In talking to him, he says he feels really good about it," Kelly said. "But we don't want to throw him back out there and have a set back right now."
Kelly said the plan right now is for Christian Ponder, who was signed Tuesday, to play vs. the Broncos Saturday. The first two quarterbacks to enter the game will be Blaine Gabbert and rookie Jeff Driskel.
Kaepernick, meanwhile, likely will rejoin practice when the 49ers resume their Santa Clara sessions next week.
"He's involved in every discussion," Kelly said. "It's not like we're telling him what to do because he's the one who ultimately knows how he feels. But, it's like a lot of times when you have a muscle injury, all of a sudden, 'Hey, I feel great,' and then all of a sudden you hear the guy re-injures it because they pushed themselves a little bit too far. So, we want to err on the side of caution and make sure that he's 100-percent as we get rolling here."
