A recent poll of 85 NFL defensive players revealed that 95 percent of the players polled, believe Colin Kaepernick deserves to be signed immediately.

The anonymous poll of 85 players released Thursday by the Athletic, asked the players to rate the league’s quarterbacks. The survey showed that 81 of the 85 players said Kaepernick should be playing today, while two offered a “no comment.”

The surveyed players supported Kaepernick and said he could easily replace Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles or the Raiders’ Nathan Peterman, Sports Illustrated wrote.

“Any team that carries three quarterbacks for sure, the third guy on that roster. And a majority of the teams with two quarterbacks, he should be the backup,” one player anonymously told The Athletic. “And some places he should be the starter.”

Kaepernick last played in 2016 as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, but at the end of that season he rejected the 49ers contract and turned free agent. He since found no team willing to sign him, though several have offered him tryouts.

The Wisconsin-born quarterback is also suing the NFL claiming that the league and its owners are “colluding” to keep him from pursuing his NFL career, based on his anthem protests.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.