The top of the 49ers’ quarterback depth chart is set with Brock Purdy. San Francisco will not have Sam Darnold in place as his backup in 2024, however, creating a vacancy for the QB2 role. 
Darnold spent last season with the 49ers, and his performance under Kyle Shanahan was sufficient to get him at least a short-term starting opportunity. The former No. 3 pick inked a one-year, $10MM deal with the Vikings in free agency and he will enter training camp ahead of first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy on the depth chart. San Francisco has two competitors to fill Darnold’s role.
One is Josh Dobbs, who joined the 49ers in March on a one-year contract. The journeyman will earn $2.25MM guaranteed and he has the potential to receive an additional $750K in roster bonuses. He is joined by Brandon Allen, who spent the 2023 campaign in San Francisco following a three-year run with the Bengals. Allen inked a one-year deal worth just over $2MM prior to the start of free agency.
While plenty is yet to be decided at this point in the offseason, Matt Barrows of The Athletic writes Dobbs is currently in the lead for the backup gig (subscription required). The 29-year-old found himself on the Browns last summer before he was dealt to the Cardinals. An eight-game run filling in for Kyler Murray as a starter was followed by a trade to the Vikings, a team which used him for four starts after Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear. Dobbs has 14 starts and 21 appearances to his name in the NFL.
Allen, 31, has logged nine starts (five of which came with the Bengals in 2020) and 15 total games during his tenure. As Barrows notes, he could have a greater chance of clearing waivers at the end of training camp than Dobbs, something of particular importance if San Francisco elects to carry two passers on the active roster. Teams will be allowed to make unlimited practice squad elevations for emergency third quarterbacks in 2024, so whichever passer is relegated to third-string duties will still likely dress on gamedays. As things stand, Allen is likelier than Dobbs to be in that position.
Allen isn’t great, but it’s not exactly great news to hear that Dobbs is winning the backup competition. He’s a guy that coaches understandably love, for much of the same reason that he is easy to root for, which is his great intellect and character. On the field, however, he’s quite underwhelming, particularly as a precision passer.
On the other hand, the 9ers have possibly the best ground game in the league on any given year. It is a necessity for Dobbs to have such an advantage to work; though the 9ers could obviously do better takent-wise, a strong rushing attack could give Dobbs enough to succeed if he should have to come in. That’s when he was at his best in the peak of his success in Arizona; allowing the run game to work for him and adding rush yards himself here and there.
Allen was with the Bengals for how many years? He had the opportunity to be a sponge and absorb all of the knowledge from the coaches and Joe B. Did he? Apparently not, because he’s still standing around holding a clipboard. He doesn’t seem to try any harder than he has to to get his paycheck. Not a guy you want if your team is in the mix for a playoff spot.
What?
Being in the same room as an elite quarterback doesn’t mean you’ll magically usurp their ability and become a talented quarterback yourself. For all you know, he DID learn from Burrow and the coaching staff, but his physical limitations are holding him back. And some people just aren’t cut out to start in the league due to a lack of intangibles, whether it be pocket presence or the capacity to scan the entire field. By this logic, Chad Henne should be Patrick Mahomes Jr.
Most importantly, you have no idea as to how hard Allen has worked over the years, so maybe stop insinuating and drawing such far-fetched conclusions
You have no idea who I am, so how the f**k would you know what I know? No insinuating anything, he is not and never will be a starter in the NFL. He did not learn from anyone because he doesn’t listen. You have to take the game seriously if you intend to make a living from it. He does not. Have you coached at any level? Played at any level above Pee-wee? You seem to draw a lot of conclusions from my post. You have no idea what it takes to succeed in the NFL, so please don’t tell me what it takes to be a great QB. Please stick to commenting on what YOU know and leave the more intelligent people alone.
Lol someone’s insecure.
And yes, I can reasonably conclude that you are insinuating when you say things like, “…he doesn’t listen.” How exactly do you know that?
LOL, why would I have to justify myself to a nameless, faceless entity who wants to pretend he’s anything more than some keyboard warrior with a complex. Brother, have a nice life.