Brandon Allen is Leading the 49ers' Backup Quarterback Competition

This competition is far from over. But it's time for Dobbs to do something good.

Grant Cohn | Jul 27, 2024

Jul 26, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brandon Allen (17) throws a pass during Day 4 of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

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San Francisco 49ers

Through three days of training camp, the 49ers' backup quarterback competition hasn't been particularly close.

While Joshua Dobbs entered camp as the favorite to win the competition, Brandon Allen currently is the clear leader. And that's not because Allen has been fantastic -- he has been fine for a backup. Dobbs simply hasn't played well, and that includes his work in OTAs and minicamp.

Dobbs is a smart quarterback and he seems to be picking up the 49ers offense quickly. He's also a mobile quarterback who can scramble away from pressure and pick up first downs with his legs. But he's horribly inaccurate. It's an adventure every time he throws a pass to a receiver who's not standing still. Slants and dig routes he often misses high or behind the intended receiver. Yesterday, he missed a swing pass in the flat by five yards.

Allen made the 53-man roster last year, so he probably will make the team again this season. Dobbs will make the team if the 49ers keep three quarterbacks, but they also might try to stash Dobbs on the practice squad.

Ultimately, Dobbs' fate with the 49ers will depend on his performance in the joint practices with the Saints and the 49ers' preseason games. Because it's possible he's a gamer. Maybe he plays better in live action than he does in practice. We've seen Brandon Allen play live football and he certainly doesn't seem like a gamer.

This competition is far from over. But it's time for Dobbs to do something good.

Published Jul 27, 2024

GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.