To hear the San Francisco 49ers television broadcast tell it, there’s nothing more important on offense right now for the 49ers than the backup quarterback battle.
It could be argued that left tackle Trent Williams’ holdout and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s hold-in are bigger deals, but there’s nothing new on either front coming out of San Francisco’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans.
There is something new on the backup QB battle. The job appears to be Brandon Allen’s to lose.
Allen started Saturday’s game and completed 7-of-13 throws for 98 yards. Two of his best throws of the night were deep shots to wide receivers Tay Martin and Ronnie Bell, but neither receiver came down with the ball.
His advantage in knowing the offense shined as he worked the pocket and stepped into a couple of good second-level throws in the middle of the field to WRs Chris Conley and Frank Darby. It was a strong showing from the 31-year-old.
Dobbs entered in the second half and didn’t perform poorly, but it was also clear that he’s new in the offense. There were points where he was indecisive, and his accuracy was a little scattered.
All that said, it’s tough to truly evaluate Dobbs because the offensive line didn’t do a great job of giving him time to get comfortable. He never looked like he got in a rhythm which makes it tough for a QB to be consistent.
Dobbs showed off a strong arm when he did get time to set his feet and throw. He also made a good throw on the run on a designed rollout, and flashed his scrambling ability when he scored a six-yard rushing touchdown.
Both Allen and Dobbs could still win the backup job with a little less than three weeks until final cuts. They’ll have a handful of practices and two more preseason games to continue jockeying for position.
Exiting Saturday’s game, however, Allen is the clear frontrunner. Dobbs’ ceiling is probably higher which gives him a chance to eventually overtake Allen. Stability would be the priority for the 49ers if QB Brock Purdy was unavailable for any significant period though, and Allen is the one providing that as of the preseason opener.
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