Brandon Allen Beats Out Joshua Dobbs in the 49ers' Backup QB Competition

Here's a shocker.

Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen (17) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Here's a shocker.

On Thursday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan named Brandon Allen, not Joshua Dobbs, the team's second-string quarterback. Dobbs will be the third-string quarterback.

By all metrics, Dobbs outplayed Allen during the preseason. Dobbs completed a higher percentage of his throws, averaged more yards per pass, rushed for more yards and scored more touchdowns than Allen. And yet somehow, Allen won the 49ers' backup quarterback competition.

Why?

In practice, both Allen and Dobbs had their moments. Neither one was fantastic. And yet, Dobbs still was decidedly better. And that was in a non-contact environment in which a quarterback can't use his legs. Once Dobbs could use his feet during live action, the difference between him and Allen, who's slow, was stark.

But Shanahan doesn't rank quarterbacks based on their merit. He ranks them based on how well they know his system. And even though Dobbs is extremely smart, he has been on the 49ers for just a few months. He's still learning the system. As opposed to Allen, who has been on the 49ers since last season and previously played for the Bengals who run a version of Shanahan's system.

If Allen won the competition anywhere, he probably won it in the meeting room. He's almost certainly better equipped than Dobbs to teach Shanahan's system. I wouldn't be surprised if Allen joined Shanahan's coaching staff one day.

But if Brock Purdy were to go down, Dobbs would give them a much better chance to win than Allen.

No brainer.