Who will be the 49ers backup quarterback for the start of the season?
The San Francisco 49ers didn’t have any quarterback controversy with their starting quarterback position for the first time in a while this offseason, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any competition in the room.
Backups Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen have been duking it out for the No. 2 spot for much of the offseason, which continued into training camp, where Allen got the first reps in two preseason games while Dobbs came first in the other.
Both quarterbacks provide different skill sets for the team, as Dobbs has good mobility, allowing him to extend plays and add an element on the feet. Allen, on the other hand, is more of a pure pocket passer, providing something extra with his experience on the team.
Where does the backup quarterback situation stand ahead of Week 1?
“We haven’t told them [who the backup for Week 1 will be],” Shanahan said about the quarterbacks on Wednesday. “I feel very good about both of them. I think they’re neck and neck. That hasn’t changed. It’s been that way for a while. Yeah, I wish it would in terms of, so it makes decisions easier on us. But when anything is like that, I won’t make a decision until I have to, and I don’t think I have to for a little bit.”
Now, the backup quarterbacks do play a role on the scout team during week-to-week preparation, and that could prompt week-to-week changes for roles, depending on who the 49ers face at the position.
“I think when you have guys who are, to me, skill level and giving us a chance to win are very similar, but the ways they do it are slightly different. So those are things that you always look into for the scout team,” Shanahan said. “Those are things that you always look into how our game plan is or what we think we need to beat another team.”
Furthermore, Shanahan revealed that the 49ers did not get any trade calls on either quarterback, making the decision to keep both on the 53-man roster easier.
With the two backups and Brock Purdy taking three spots on the roster, undrafted free agent Tanner Mordecai was waived and ultimately returned to the team’s practice squad after going unclaimed.
Was there any worry of losing the undrafted free agent during the process?
“We feel like we have four really good ones,” general manager John Lynch said about the quarterbacks. “And unfortunately, or maybe a good thing for us, Tanner didn’t get as many reps in the preseason as we would’ve liked for him to get because I think those two guys, [QB Joshua] Dobbs and [QB] Brandon [Allen] were fighting out that. So we wanted to let that play out. Tanner’s a talented kid. We’re happy that he’s on our practice squad. We’re excited to work with him.”
The quarterback situation seems set with the bodies heading into the season. Now, it’s time for the 49ers to figure out who their backup will be, with the hope that they’ll never have to enter a game for meaningful snaps.