Chip Kelly 'impressed' with Blaine Gabbert

It's still unclear who will be the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback next season and head coach Chip Kelly isn't making things any clearer with his latest comments.

"(I'm) impressed with Blaine (Gabbert)," Kelly told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com on Wednesday. "You watch him the last couple of games he started. He's another guy, you look at his skill set. He took off against the Bears and went (44) yards for a touchdown. He ran 4.61 in the combine when he was coming out."

Gabbert started the final eight games of the 2015 regular season, passing for 2,031 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while running for 185 yards on 32 attempts with one touchdown. It was assumed that Colin Kaepernick would have the edge over Gabbert once Kelly was hired, given his ability to run, but the new coach isn't ruling out either player as a runner.

"He's big. I'd never really dealt with Blaine because he came into the league before I came into the league, but just how big and physical and impressive he is," said Kelly. "He's a 6-4, 245-pound guy that can really run. I thought the last part of the season he played really well. It'll be intriguing to work with him, too."

Accuracy and a quick release are crucial to a quarterback playing in Kelly's system, but the ability to throw on the run and make plays as a runner are also essential.

Kaepernick's character and motives have reportedly been called into question by coaches, players, teams, and fans as of late. There are also rumors swirling about the Niners drafting California native Jared Goff seventh overall, but Kelly continues to hint that Gabbert could be his guy.

Kelly's best stretch of success with the Philadelphia Eagles came with Nick Foles as his quarterback, who doesn't fit any of the perceived requirements of Kelly's quarterbacks.