Brock Purdy’s impending contract extension will rightfully dominate the quarterback conversation around the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, but it’s not the lone question mark at the QB position for them.
While Purdy is do to get a new deal that figures to make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid signal callers, San Francisco also has to figure out what they’re going to do behind Purdy.
QBs Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen are both slated to hit free agency in the offseason. That leaves 2024 undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai as the only other QB on the roster.
At a minimum the 49ers need to add another QB, and they’ll probably look to add two so they have four on their offseason roster. It’s hard to believe they’ll roll into next year with Mordecai as Purdy’s backup, even if they’re happy with Mordecai’s development in his rookie season.
It stands to reason Dobbs may not want to return to a situation where he won’t have a chance to start. He spent most of 2024 as the third-string QB behind Purdy and Allen.
Allen acquitted himself well in his lone start of the year in Green Bay, but he fell behind Dobbs on the depth chart for the final game of the season when Purdy was out with a right elbow injury. It’s not a slam dunk that the 49ers are fine with Allen as their QB2 again next year.
What San Francisco can’t afford to do is ignore the position given what happened at the end of the 2024 season when Purdy took a helmet to the elbow in Week 17 and had to miss the season finale. After nearly two full seasons of healthy QB play it became easy to forget the injury-driven tumult that under center that preceded Purdy.
He hasn’t been hurt as often as a player like Jimmy Garoppolo, but the need to insulate themselves from a QB injury is still there. Finding a player they believe can step in and win some games if Purdy has to miss time is imperative to the 49ers’ offseason to-do list.
Perhaps it’s Allen. He lost his start in Green Bay, but head coach Kyle Shanahan was complimentary of the veteran’s performance in his first start since 2021. Perhaps it’s Dobbs after his 326-yard outing against the Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps it’s Mordecai or a 2025 draft pick.
Whoever it winds up being, it has to be a player the 49ers are confident in. Simply throwing any inexpensive player behind Purdy on the depth chart puts the team in a precarious position where an injury to the QB ostensibly ends their season. Purdy’s injury late in 2024 highlighted that reality and the 49ers need to make sure they address it properly in 2025.
Why the 49ers made a change at QB with Brock Purdy out:
It looks like the San Francisco 49ers won’t have quarterback Brock Purdy for their season finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Week 18 will mark the second game Purdy has missed this season, but this time the starter in his stead will be different. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday announced Joshua Dobbs would get the start ahead of Brandon Allen, who has been Purdy’s backup for virtually the entire season.
According to Shanahan, the change from Allen to Dobbs has more to do with the personnel surrounding the QBs than either player’s performance. He confirmed the switch was because San Francisco is down so many offensive lineman, and Dobbs’ mobility gives the 49ers offense a better chance to be successful. Dobbs has 503 rushing yards and seven career rushing touchdowns, including a seven-yard TD scamper in Monday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions. Allen has 68 yards on 36 carries in his career.
Shanahan heaped praise on both signal callers though, giving an indication that one or both may be back in 2025.
“(Dobbs has) been great, him and Brandon,” said Shanahan. “They’ve been two good guys to have there. I’ve kind of looked at both of them as our two throughout the year. Kind of a little bit what I said in preseason. But they both have done really good looks on scout team, they split all the reps there. They’re always ready. They both prepare like they’re going to be a starter every week, so they’ve been great.”
If the 49ers can’t retain both Allen and Dobbs when they hit free agency in the offseason, Dobbs’ performance Sunday may determine how much San Francisco prioritizes bringing him back.
Undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai is another other option if the 49ers don’t bring back one or both of Allen and Dobbs. While he wasn’t in the mix to be the starter Sunday because he hasn’t gotten enough reps behind the other two QBs, Shanahan said Mordecai has found other ways to make the most of his first NFL season.
“It’s always tough having four, just because of the reps,” said Shanahan. “So I mean, that’s kind of, (Minnesota Vikings QB) Nick Mullens his first year, I think he was the fourth and he got scout-team reps at safety until basically his first start. So that does happen. You’ve got to find ways to get the work in, but he’s taken advantage of his time here too.”
Dobbs performed well in his handful of snaps in Monday night’s loss after Purdy went down with a right elbow injury. If he puts together another strong outing behind a patchwork offensive line, he may quickly become San Francisco’s second-biggest offseason priority at QB behind Purdy and his contract extension.
It’s a new starting QB for San Francisco on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers have named their starting quarterback for their Week 18 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
With starting QB Brock Purdy working through an elbow injury he sustained in the 49ers’ Week 17 loss to the Detroit Lions, Joshua Dobbs will get the start under center according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. Brandon Allen, who started the team’s Week 12 game in Green Bay, will be the backup.
Dobbs was the backup Monday night and played well in a brief stint after Purdy exited the game. He went 3-for-4 for 34 yards through the air, and scored a seven-yard rushing touchdown.
Sunday in Arizona will mark the 15th start of Dobbs’ career. He made eight starts for the Cardinals last year and went 1-7. In his career he’s 3-11 as a starter, completing 62.3 percent of his throws for 2,955 yards with 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The announcement is further evidence QB Brock Purdy will be absent from Sunday’s game. Purdy is dealing with a contusion on his elbow after taking a hit while getting sacked late in the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss. Barring a miraculous turnaround, his 2024 season will be over.
Dobbs may be playing for a long-term backup job in San Francisco. He and Allen are both slated to be free agents in the offseason. The 49ers will need a new backup signal caller unless they’re enamored with undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai who has been on the practice squad all season.
The 49ers and Cardinals kick off at 1:25pm Pacific Time from State Farm Stadium.
“I’m relieved, but I wasn’t too concerned. I mean, I wasn’t too worried about it just with the information we had last night. It was good to just hear the same thing today,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers are classifying it as a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation, but Shanahan said San Francisco is not expecting Purdy to play in Week 18 at Arizona.
That means the 49ers will likely be trotting out either Joshua Dobbs or Brandon Allen under center. Shanahan said it’s unclear early in the week which quarterback will get the start for the 49ers.
“We’re just starting really putting this game to bed right now and trying to catch up with Arizona, so I’ll decide that later in the day,” Shanahan said.
After Purdy exited with his right elbow injury, Dobbs closed the 49ers’ final drive against the Lions and directed San Francisco for a touchdown. Dobbs completed 3-of-4 passes for 35 yards and then completed the scoring drive himself with a 7-yard touchdown scramble.
When Purdy was previously sidelined with a shoulder injury earlier this season, Allen got the start for the 49ers in Week 12 at the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers lost 38-10 as Allen completed 17-of-29 passes with a 3-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle against one interception.
Barring injuries during the week, the one option that Shanahan ruled out was rookie practice squad quarterback Tanner Mordecai.
Brandon Allen found George Kittle for a touchdown in the back of the end zone to get the 49ers on the board against the Packers.
After being sidelined due to injury during the San Francisco 49ers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week, George Kittle found a way to spark the 49ers on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Following a rough start at Lambeau Field, the 49ers were trailing by 17-0 in the first half. Before the first half came to a close, Brandon Allen found George Kittle in the back of the end zone to get the 49ers on the board with a much-needed touchdown.
Allen drilled Kittle with a three-yard touchdown touchdown pass to cut Green Bay’s lead to 17-7.
According to Next Gen Stats, Kittle now leads the NFL with 15 catches in the red zone this season. Kittle has tallied a league-best eight red zone touchdowns this season.
Could Brandon Allen’s start be a blessing in disguise for the 49ers’ offense?
The San Francisco 49ers will face a steep uphill battle Sunday when they face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Injuries will leave quarterback Brock Purdy on the sideline with veteran signal caller Brandon Allen slated to start in his stead. While Allen’s start will make an already tough game more difficult for the 49ers, it could facilitate some offensive innovation from a group that was starting to get stagnant on that side of the ball.
San Francisco is coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks where they posted only 17 points, averaged 4.9 yards per play and churned out only three designed explosive plays.
Now they’ll start Allen in a pivotal road game. It’ll be his first start since Week 18 of the 2021 season and the 10th start of his career. He’s 2-7 as a starter with a 56.5 percent completion rate, 6.2 yards per attempt, nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
His job Sunday should come down to converting third downs and avoiding turnovers, which may push head coach Kyle Shanahan to try some things he hasn’t been doing with Purdy under center.
In Green Bay we could see the 49ers lean more heavily on their run game, and in particular utilize sets where running back Jordan Mason is on the field with RB Christian McCaffrey. Those two haven’t been on the field together this season with McCaffrey dominating the snap count.
That’s the other shift we may see. More run-focused offense could require more from Mason who posted 13 yards on his only two carries against the Seattle Seahawks. The 2022 undrafted RB proved himself to be a viable offensive weapon while McCaffrey was out, and the 49ers have all but abandoned him since the reigning Offensive Player of the Year returned.
McCaffrey is certainly a better all-around player than Mason, but Mason averaged better than 5.0 yards per carry as the 49ers’ starter and he’d be extremely useful in a situation where San Francisco needs to lean on its rushing attack.
Aside from the run game, Allen’s presence may also facilitate a return toward something close to normalcy in the passing attack. Allen isn’t as mobile as Purdy, so he may be more apt to hit some of the throws Purdy has turned down this year. Not that the 49ers will want him dropping back 40 times, but Allen should be capable of connecting on the easy throws Shanahan figures to dial up.
If the 49ers can get back to their roots as a creative, relentless running team who gets the passing game going out of play action, we may see them not only stay afloat with Allen under center, but we could see them flip an offensive switch that gets them back on track in time to make a late playoff push.
The San Francisco 49ers ruled out starting quarterback Brock Purdy because of a shoulder injury and announced backup Brandon Allen as the starter for Sunday’s showdown with the Green Bay Packers.
The San Francisco 49ers ruled out starting quarterback Brock Purdy because of a shoulder injury and announced backup Brandon Allen as the starter for Sunday’s showdown with the Green Bay Packers.
Purdy, a Pro Bowler who finished fourth in NFL MVP voting last year, injured his shoulder last Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks and missed the majority of practice time this week.
Allen, a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016, has started nine games in his NFL career. Teams are 2-7 when he starts, including a 1-4 mark over five starts with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020. Over 16 career appearances in regular season games, Allen has completed 149 of 263 passes for 1,611 yards, 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Allen’s last start came with the Bengals in 2021. He completed 15 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in a 21-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns in the season finale.
Allen spent time on the practice squad of the Los Angeles Rams while Matt LaFleur was on Sean McVay’s staff.
The 49ers also ruled out edge rusher Nick Bosa, the team’s most disruptive pass-rusher, and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Left tackle Trent Williams is questionable to play.
The San Francisco 49ers may have to get creative to fix some of the holes on their roster left behind by injuries.
One spot they’ve yet to fill is the one vacated by running back Christian McCaffrey when he was placed on Injured Reserve. They may choose not to fill that spot with a running back, but given their depth problem at the position it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them look to improve the quality behind Jordan Mason.
While the free-agent market is always an option, the Athletic’s Matt Barrows offered an intriguing trade idea instead.
Barrows suggested in a mailbag following the 49ers’ Week 2 loss to the Vikings that San Francisco get in touch with the Miami Dolphins and old friend Mike McDaniel. Miami is dealing with another concussion for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and placed him on IR.
Their rosters align well enough that a trade could help both teams.
Via Barrows:
I made this point on X last week, but the 49ers need a reliable running back, and the Miami Dolphins seem to need a quarterback. The Dolphins have an abundance of runners who are in the same offense as San Francisco’s, and the 49ers have two backup quarterbacks who are about equal in the eyes of Shanahan and who could quickly slide into Mike McDaniel’s attack.
Conclusion: Joshua Dobbs for Raheem Mostert. Or maybe Brandon Allen for Jeff Wilson Jr. Who says no?
While the 49ers may not want to part with one of their trio of QBs, there isn’t a better back available in the free agent market than either Mostert or Wilson.
San Francisco knows what both players provide its offense, and they’d be able to deploy them as quality backups to take some of the workload off of Mason. Last season Mostert made his first Pro Bowl and scored a whopping 21 touchdowns. It’s difficult to believe the Dolphins would be willing to give him up for a backup QB in a trade. He’s also dealing with a chest injury that isn’t considered major, but it did hold him out of Miami’s Week 2 matchup with the Bills.
Wilson may be more available, and his hard-nosed running style is a nice complement to Mason. Having a couple of battering rams to throw at defenses would make life extremely difficult for opponents late in games. Wilson has only five carries for the Dolphins so far this season, and he appears to be at least third and possible fourth on the depth chart when Miami’s backfield is fully healthy.
Adding either player would dramatically improve the 49ers’ backfield depth. It would also give San Francisco a player that head coach Kyle Shanahan trusts in his offense. This is absolutely a call the 49ers should be making if they haven’t already.
Bo Nix is the Denver Broncos’ 14th starting quarterback since Peyton Manning’s retirement. Here’s the full list.
The Denver Broncos have been in football purgatory following Peyton Manning’s retirement from the NFL.
Manning played in Denver from 2012-2015, posting a 45-12 record as the team’s starter. The Broncos won the AFC West in all four of Manning’s seasons and they reached two Super Bowls.
After winning Super Bowl 50, Manning retired during the 2016 offseason. Denver spent the last nine years searching for a replacement. Broncos fans now have hope that Bo Nix will finally break the team’s post-Manning quarterback curse.
Nix, who was picked by Denver in the first round of the NFL draft in April, will become the Broncos’ 14th starting quarterback since Manning’s retirement. Here’s the full list.
Broncos starting quarterbacks since Peyton Manning
Siemian was the team’s only full-time starter to post a winning record, but he wasn’t a franchise quarterback. Here’s a quick look back at each QB.
1. Trevor Siemian: 13-11
(Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)
Denver’s most successful quarterback since Manning’s retirement (in terms of record), Siemian nearly reached the playoffs in his first season under center. After spending last year as a backup with the New York Jets, Siemian is now a free agent.
2. Paxton Lynch: 1-3
(Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
One of the biggest busts in franchise history, Lynch went on to have unsuccessful stints in the CFL, USFL and XFL after falling out of the NFL in 2019. He’s currently a free agent.
3. Brock Osweiler: 0-4
(Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)
Osweiler was an important player for the Broncos during their Super Bowl 50 run as he filled in well for an injured Manning during the 2015 season. Osweiler’s second stint with the team did not go well, though, and he retired from the NFL in 2019.
4. Case Keenum: 6-10
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Keenum had an unremarkable one-year run with the Broncos in 2018. He’s now a backup with the Houston Texans.
5. Joe Flacco: 2-6
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Flacco joined the Broncos in 2019 and he didn’t last long in Denver. He’s now a backup with the Indianapolis Colts.
6. Brandon Allen: 1-2
(Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)
Allen started three games in 2019 when Flacco and Drew Lock were recovering from injuries. Allen is now a backup with the San Francisco 49ers.
7. Jeff Driskel: 0-1
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Driskel started one game when Lock was injured in 2020 and it didn’t go well. He’s now a backup with the Washington Commanders.
8. Brett Rypien: 2-1
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
Rypien started one game in the place of an injured Lock and two games in the place of an injured Russell Wilson. He is now a backup with the Chicago Bears.
9. Drew Lock: 8-13
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Lock had moments of strong play in Denver, but his turnovers often proved to be costly. He was sent to Seattle as part of the Wilson trade and he spent two years as a backup with the Seahawks. Lock is now a backup with the New York Gitans.
10. Kendall Hinton/Phillip Lindsay: 0-1
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
When all four of Denver’s quarterbacks were ruled ineligible to play in Week 12 of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 policy, wide receiver Kendall Hinton was called up from the practice squad to play quarterback that week. Technically, the Broncos had Lindsay line up in a Wild Cat formation for the first play, so Hinton was not officially credited with a QB start, but he was Denver’s QB that day.
Hinton and Lindsay are now both out of the NFL.
11. Teddy Bridgewater: 7-7
(Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
Bridgewater was one of Denver’s best quarterbacks since the Manning era, but it still wasn’t enough for the Broncos to get back into playoff contention. After backup stints with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, Bridgewater retired from the NFL in February. He now coaches high school football in Miami.
12. Russell Wilson: 11-19
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
The Broncos paid a king’s ransom to acquire Wilson from the Seahawks in 2022 and he ended up starting just 30 games in Denver. Wilson went 4-11 in 2022 and 7-8 in 2023. Payton took on the largest dead money cap hit in NFL history to move on from Wilson this spring. He now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
13. Jarrett Stidham: 1-1
(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
After the Broncos benched Wilson last year, Stidham started the final two games of the season and split the results. He competed with Nix for Denver’s starting job this summer but wasn’t able to fend off the rookie for QB1 duties.
14. Bo Nix: 0-0
(Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)
On paper, Nix seems to be a perfect fit for Payton’s offense. He will make his regular-season NFL debut when the Broncos go on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 (Sept. 8). After eight seasons of inconsistent quarterback play, Denver now turns to Nix to get the franchise back on track.
The San Francisco 49ers have finally named Brock Purdy’s backup.
After a battle that lasted throughout training camp and the preseason, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Brandon Allen will be the No. 2 QB for the 49ers. Josh Dobbs will be the emergency third QB.
Given how the two players looked in camp and the preseason there wasn’t a surefire choice. Both had their ups and downs, and Dobbs managed to work his way into the conversation by quickly picking up the offense and closing the gap between him and Allen, who spent last season with the 49ers.
If the 49ers don’t have Purdy under center, Shanahan will want to remove as many variables as possible from the offense. Allen can run the offense effectively and deliver throws to the right spots.
Dobbs can do that, but he’s still learning Shanahan’s scheme and his athleticism adds a layer of unknown to his game. He made plays with his legs in the preseason, but he also held onto the ball too long at times and took unnecessary negative plays by trying to extend a play for too long.
It was clear after the preseason that the ceiling was higher with Dobbs, but the floor was higher with Allen. The latter is what matters to the head coach in the event they need to survive a stretch without their starting quarterback.
