Kyle Shanahan is going to roll with Brandon Allen, not Joshua Dobbs as his No. 2 quarterback this season behind Brock Purdy.
The San Francisco 49ers didn't have too many provocative position battles during the offseason, into training camp and in the preseason.
But one of them of note was for the backup quarterback role, a battle that would be had between two veterans, Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs.
By nearly every visible account during the three-game exhibition phase, Dobbs was the clear-cut favorite, especially after commanding the Niners offense in an impressive win over the New Orleans Saints in preseason Week 2.
Dobbs completed 66.7 percent of his preseason passes while also demonstrating his mobility, too, whereas Allen looked more like the competent-but-limited signal-caller who wouldn't be much of an X-factor in games, completing 63.3 percent of his own tosses in the process.
But, it appears as if head coach Kyle Shanahan was seeing things from a different perspective.
49ers name Brandon Allen No. 2 QB, not Joshua Dobbs
In the bid to back up Brock Purdy, Shanahan revealed on Thursday that San Francisco's depth chart at quarterback would be:
- Brock Purdy
- Brandon Allen
- Joshua Dobbs
Yes, Allen will be the primary go-to in case Purdy is forced to miss field time.
About the only notable thing Allen had going for him in the competition with Dobbs is the former has one year more of experience within Shanahan's offense, having served as the 49ers' QB3 over the course of 2023 despite not seeing any field time.
Dobbs, of course, will remain on the 53-man roster but will likely be relegated to the inactive list, designated as the emergency quarterback who can take the field in case of injuries to the first two options.
It's a strange decision, perhaps. Maybe Shanahan sided with Allen's experience and/or ability to work within the system instead of getting creative and operating outside of it; something Dobbs tended to do during preseason games.
If all goes according to plan, though, neither Allen nor Dobbs will see any meaningful snaps over the course of the upcoming season.
