Who is 49ers’ QB2? Only Kyle Shanahan knows, and he’s not saying

So now what?

There’s not a lot separating Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs in the battle to be the backup for 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy.

Both had their moments in a 24-24 tie with the Las Vegas Raiders Friday night at Allegiant Stadium, and to the untrained eye their competition looks to be dead heat heading in to Tuesday’s cutdown to 53 men.

Allen got 20 snaps and was 5-for-7 for 60 yards after taking over for Purdy, who thankfully seemed fine after making the questionable decision to throw his shoulder into Chris Smith II along the sideline on an interception return.

It was a play that underscored how important a quality backup quarterback can be, something the 49ers learned the hard way losing both Trey Lance and Garoppolo (and finally Purdy) in 2022.

Dobbs was 8-for-10 for 72 yards and a third-and-goal 10-yard touchdown strike to Jacob Cowing in his 21 snaps in the third and early fourth quarter. Dobbs and Cowing also connected on a 38-yard play in last week’s win over New Orleans.

“Josh takes what the defense gives ’em and on third down hit him on a slant on third-and-10, tight window there, but that was exactly where he needed to go,” Purdy told KPIX in a third-quarter interview. “Josh was on time, Jacob ran a great route and they’ve got a great connection going. It’s pretty sweet.”

Josh Dobbs Jacob Cowing#SFvsLV on KPIX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/dsb8JXCGgM

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 24, 2024

A year ago, it was so obvious to Shanahan that Sam Darnold had beaten out Lance he made the call before the final preseason game. With the preseason over, Shanahan was asked in his postgame press conference if Allen or Dobbs had separated themselves in terms of No. 2.

“Not really,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s been pretty similar in all these games and they’ve done some real good things. We’ve got two guys who we think can play. That will be a tough decision but it’s a decision I’m glad that we’ve got to make.”

Both have been surprisingly good in areas that weren’t necessarily considered strengths. Allen has a better arm than he was given credit for and is adept at cutting loose on seam routes and outside the numbers.

Dobbs, especially Friday, proved adept at getting the ball out of his hands and finding receivers on time as opposed to abandoning the offense as called and scrambling to make a play.

“When you’re a quarterback, especially one that’s been in the situations that I’ve been in, opportunities to get on the field aren’t as frequent as some other peoples’ and their stories,” Dobbs told KPIX in a post-game interview. “You look forward to any time you get a chance to execute, play clean football, lead my team around me and put points on the board.”

If the 49ers carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, it affords Shanahan the opportunity to pick his backup on a weekly basis and make his determination based on the opponent every week, as well as have either a more standard drop back passer or an athletic quarterback with running skill serve as the scout team quarterback.

Allen could portray Matthew Stanford when the opponent is the Rams, with Dobbs running the service team when facing Kyler Murray.

But if the 49ers want their No. 3 quarterback to be on the practice squad, that’s where things get more complicated.

In order to be on the practice squad, either Allen or Dobbs would need to be waived initially on Tuesday’s cutdown to 53. That would expose one or the other to every other team in the NFL looking for a quarterback.

Having time in the Shanahan system is a good thing, or at least it was for Darnold, who mostly watched Purdy last season but was signed to a one-year, $10 million contract during the offseason to be the starter for the Minnesota Vikings.

So there’s no guarantee Allen or Dobbs would go unclaimed. The 49ers have already guaranteed Dobbs $2.25 million this year, but they cute Nate Sudfeld in 2022 after paying him $2 million guaranteed because they were so enamored with Purdy.

There’s also the chance Dobbs, using the Darnold example, would rather stick with the 49ers and learn the system inside and out even if he was on the practice squad since he’s already guaranteed his $2.25 million.

“I’m looking forward to this year,” Dobbs said. “Whatever my role is, I’m excited to embrace it.”

The guess here? The 49ers keep all three initially and make Allen No. 2 because he would be the most likely to avoid turnovers and distribute the ball to Shanahan’s specifications. It was that skill that kept Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback even if he didn’t always see eye to eye with Shanahan, and it was Purdy’s ability to process information and execute that won over his head coach.

It wasn’t until Purdy got more comfortable in the system last year that he started to create more frequently with his legs. He escaped for a 14-yard run on scoring drive Friday night before wisely hitting the deck.

We’ll find out soon enough what the 49ers’ backup plan is in case Purdy doesn’t bounce back so easily.