Former fourth-round draft pick Joshua Dobbs is already turning heads for his new team in San Francisco. Dobbs signed with the 49ers this offseason after impressing with his performances for the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals last season.
After being with the team for only a couple of months, Dobbs is viewed as being the front-runner in the clubhouse to win the No. 2 quarterback role on the depth chart. He’s supposedly already grasped much of Kyle Shanahan’s complex offensive scheme.
“Being new to it and just being able to have total command of whatever scheme he was doing” was impressive, Shanahan said, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch. "He memorizes everything very fast. He’s extremely smart. He’s got all that down.”
Dobbs left a positive impression on the NFL after 12 starts between the Cardinals and Vikings in 2023. While his record (3-9) wasn’t great, his play and poise on the field helped make his mark, which led to his signing in San Francisco in March.
Record aside, Dobbs posted some decent statistics during his stints in Arizona and Minnesota. He passed for 13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and 2,464 yards. Dobbs also posted an above-average QBR of 51.8. While these numbers aren’t eye-popping, they are more than enough to earn a backup spot on a roster.
Fellow journeyman, Brandon Allen, is expected to battle Dobbs in training camp for the right to back up Purdy in 2024. With what Dobbs showed last season and the Niners coaching staff already giving him rave reviews, it seems like the QB2 spot will be his to lose moving forward.
