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The San Francisco 49ers headed into training camp with buzz surrounding the quarterback position. However, the fight for the starting quarterback spot turned out way less interesting than expected. Not only did Brock Purdy recover from his torn UCL in time for camp, but he has clearly secured the No. 1 QB spot, especially after the 49ers listed him in that position on the first unofficial training camp depth chart.
Still, there is plenty of pressure for the other three quarterbacks — Brandon Allen, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold — to play well in the upcoming preseason. For the past decade, most teams have only had two active quarterbacks on game day on the overall 48-man active roster. Following the quarterback disaster for the 49ers in the Conference Championship Game, the league passed a new rule that teams can now have an emergency third quarterback suited up, which doesn't count against the active roster.
Trey Lance and Sam Darnold will most likely fill in the two backup spots, but Brandon Allen will still want to play well in the preseason. Though many teams may not keep more than three quarterbacks, the 49ers could be an exception after going through four quarterbacks last season. Even if the 49ers don't keep Allen on the roster, they might keep him on-call in the case of an injury to one of the four quarterbacks. After Josh Johnson faltered in the postseason last year, the 49ers will seek an emergency quarterback who is more consistent, which Allen has the chance to show this preseason.
Even if Lance and Darnold may not be on the roster bubble, their preseason play is still instrumental to their roster spot going forward. Not only could their preseason play determine if they land the No.2 spot, but also keep them with the 49ers. Throughout the offseason, Lance was the subject of trade rumors. Solid play could keep him from being traded or potentially give him a better chance with another team. The same goes for Darnold, who already is in his three seasons and would like a solid home to prove himself.
Another player on the roster bubble who will want to show out during the preseason is running back Jeremy McNichols. San Francisco signed McNichols following the injury to second-string running back Elijah Mitchell and waiving Ronald Wyatt. McNichols was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. He has heavily been delegated to roles on the practice squad, including with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. Though he has 659 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, he still is far from a proven backup.
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What bodes well in McNichols' favor is that Mitchell is often injury-plagued. Though Mitchell is currently expected to miss a week, he has unfortunately missed plenty of time through his career. If Mitchell is out and McNichols impresses in the preseason, the 49ers may want to keep McNichols to have depth behind Christian McCaffrey and Tyrion Davis-Price.
What doesn't bode as well for McNichols is Tyrion Davis-Price has thoroughly has captured attention from teammates and coaches this training camp. Center Jake Brendel spoke on his improvement saying, “It’s pretty wild how much he has progressed. This season I feel like he is legitimately in the running to be a huge contender for that running back position,” per Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Given that the 49ers just signed McNichols and Davis-Price is a third-round pick for the 49ers in 2022, it's unlikely he has a shot of taking Davis-Price's role.
With Davis-Price and Mitchell likely back, the 49ers may not want to use a spot on McNichols. In addition, there are plenty of great running backs on the open market if San Francisco needs depth including Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott. If McNichols wants to keep off the practice squad designation, he may need to make a strong impression more than anyone.
