SANTA CLARA — The result of one of the 49ers’ closest competitions finally was revealed on Thursday when coach Kyle Shanahan announced the identity of the team’s backup quarterback.
Brandon Allen will take over the role of the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Brock Purdy when the 49ers take the field Monday night in Week 1 against the New York Jets, Shanahan announced.
Joshua Dobbs remains on the 49ers’ 53-man roster and will suit up as the team’s emergency No. 3 quarterback.
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Allen and Dobbs both saw extensive time in the preseason. Dobbs completed 66.7 percent of his pass attempts (34 of 51) for 351 yards with one touchdown, one interception. Allen completed 63.3 percent of his passes (19 of 30) for 194 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Allen, 31, spent last season as the 49ers’ No. 3 quarterback behind Purdy and Sam Darnold. Allen re-signed with the 49ers on a one-year, $1.5 million contract, while Darnold signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Allen spent his first NFL season as a reserve quarterback with the Denver Broncos. Then, he was the Cincinnati Bengals’ backup for three seasons. He appeared in 12 games with six starts. Allen did not appear in any games last season with the 49ers.
Dobbs joined the quarterback competition on a one-year, $2.35 million deal.
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Dobbs, 29, is coming off an interesting year in which he went to training camp with the Cleveland Browns and was traded to the Arizona Cardinals just prior to the start of the season. Then, he was sent to Minnesota when Kirk Cousins sustained a season-ending Achilles injury.
Dobbs started eight games with the Cardinals and four more with the Vikings. He completed 62.8 percent of his pass attempts on the season for 2,464 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 421 yards and six touchdowns on 77 attempts.
Dobbs began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a fourth-round draft pick in 2017. After appearing in a total of six games with the Steelers in 2018 and ’20, he went on to the Tennessee Titans in 2022, where he started in two games. He also spent time with Jacksonville and Detroit but did not appear in any games with those franchises.