At a time when the Ravens are taking the temperature of fans and sponsors to determine their reaction to the potential acquisition of quarterback Colin Kaepernick, it’s fairly clear that the locker room would have no problem with it.
“Hell yeah, if he’s going to help us win,” veteran linebacker Terrell Suggs recently told ESPN. “We have no issues. Not in the locker room. Hell yeah, we want him.”
Veteran defensive back Ladarius Webb agrees.
“I would love to have him to come challenge some other quarterbacks,” Webb said. “We all know Joe [Flacco] is our guy. We love [Ryan] Mallett. But yeah, we all would like competition around here to make everyone better.”
Veteran tight end Ben Watson believes that the composition of the team allows it to absorb a guy like Kaepernick.
“This locker room is one where everybody has a respect for other people when they don’t have the same point of view,” Watson said. “There are a lot of strong personalities. One thing I noticed before I got to the Ravens, I heard the Ravens organization would allow you to be yourself. That’s the culture that’s here.”
Of course, what some players will say publicly doesn’t necessarily mesh with what others believe privately. As Chris Simms pointed out on Monday’s PFT Live, he heard that some players and members of the coaching staff in San Francisco were unhappy with Kaepernick’s protests in 2016.
Since Kaepernick won’t be protesting in 2017, that shouldn’t matter. But a lot of things that should or shouldn’t matter in situations like this matter tremendously.