There is no question as to who would start the season as QB1 for the San Francisco 49ers. Brock Purdy has that position on lock after making 21 solid starts for the 49ers over the past two seasons. On the other hand, the QB2 distinction remains up for grabs — although perhaps not for long. During San Francisco's 16-10 preseason win over the New Orleans Saints, Josh Dobbs appeared to separate himself from Brandon Allen as the two continued to vie for the backup job behind Purdy.
In fact, Dobbs appears to have a fan in the 49ers' starting quarterback. Speaking after their win over the Saints, Purdy praised Dobbs' approach to the game and how he has conducted himself in every snap the team has given him throughout preseason and training camp.
“He's [Dobbs] a baller, man. He makes plays, goes through his reads and brings energy, man. He's out there making plays and guys feed off it. That's football. It's not always going to be pretty, you drop back and everything is going to be perfect. You're going to have to make plays off schedule and bring some juice to the team, and guys feed off that. So, love having him in the room, and like I said, he's pretty electric,” Purdy said, per Jordan Elliott of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Josh Dobbs earned this praise by showing out how he could help both on the passing and rushing game; he completed 12 of his 21 passes for a total of 133 yards, while he also contributed 25 yards on the ground — including a one-yard touchdown of his own.
Dobbs has always been a major threat on the ground, which may be why the 49ers decided to sign him to a one-year, $2.25 million contract this past offseason. He tallied 421 total rushing yards last season (ranking fifth in the league) for an average of 5.5 gained per attempt, which is tied for the third-best average in the entire NFL.
It's not quite clear how much sway Brock Purdy has within the 49ers roster and how much his opinion will affect the decision Kyle Shanahan will be making when it comes to naming the team's QB2. But as the old adage goes, game recognizes game, and Purdy certainly knows how helpful Dobbs can be as his primary backup.
49ers' backup QB battle to be decided soon
The NFL season opener is almost upon us; for the 49ers, they'll be starting their season at home as they host the New York Jets on September 9. This means that the preseason is coming to a close. San Francisco will be ending their preseason run next week in Las Vegas when they take on the Raiders — a final opportunity of sorts for Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen to fight for a higher place in the depth chart.
Allen had a solid game himself; he completed 70 percent of his passes (7-10), although they were mostly for short gains (he finished with 36 total passing yards). Nevertheless, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan recognizes the merits of having either Dobbs or Allen as the QB2 behind Brock Purdy.
“Yeah, I thought they both did well with the reps they were given. Dobbs got to play a little bit more and I thought he did a real good job leading on some of those drives. When Brandon came in, he did the same. It was very similar to last week. The games have been tight, the practice have been tight. So, it’s a good problem we have right now,” Shanahan said.
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