The 49ers various quarterback questions and battles are some of the most intriguing story lines across any NFL training camp.
San Francisco hasn’t seen much movement in those battles since they’ve yet to face a defense that isn’t their own, or played in a live game setting. However, at some point head coach Kyle Shanahan is going to have to make some choices on how his depth chart shakes out.
We decided to take a swing at a prediction though for how the 49ers’ quarterback depth will look when they open their season Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh. This guess comes with the assumption that every player is fully healthy for the start of the regular season, and it also comes with the knowledge that the real battles will begin in joint practices with the Raiders on Aug. 10 and 11, and the preseason games that follow.
To the prediction!
QB 1: Brock Purdy
There’s really only one scenario where Purdy isn’t the starter in Week 1 at Pittsburgh. He would have to completely melt down in training camp and in preseason games to get head coach Kyle Shanahan to reconsider who his starting signal caller will be. Purdy put enough on tape last year to give the 49ers the utmost confidence in him, so there would need to be some sort colossal disaster over the next month to justify displacing Purdy atop the depth chart.
QB 2: Trey Lance
It’s unlikely either of Lance or Darnold does something to dramatically separate himself. However, Lance has taken clear strides as a passer through the offseason and early in training camp. There are some issues with consistent accuracy on short throws, but all indications are he’s settling in on intermediate throws and in-breaking routes. Lance gets the edge because of the plays he’s capable of making with his legs. That’s not to say the team should lean on designed runs, but he’s shown the ability to create yards when plays break down and that’s enough upside to outweigh some of the misses in the short passing game.
QB 3: Sam Darnold
It seems very unlikely that the 49ers move on from either Darnold or Lance in the name of keeping Allen as the third signal caller. That puts Darnold in the third QB role. He’s been very good on a lot of the in-breaking throws that San Francisco’s pass catchers turn into chunk plays with their ability to run after the catch. The key for Darnold though will be how consistently he makes the right reads and right throws. He’s capable of some head-scratching mistakes, and given that this is his first year in the offense those mistakes could be amplified in game situations. There’s a chance Darnold lands the backup spot, to be sure, but he’ll need to be consistently good in live snaps without turning the ball over.
Practice squad: Brandon Allen
While there’s some talk that the 49ers might keep four QBs, that seems unlikely given the bind it puts the team in at other roster spots. Chances are San Francisco tries getting Allen through waivers and onto their practice squad. If he gets picked up by another club they’d likely aim to quickly find another QB to get onto the practice squad to ensure they have a player who has been around the team and knows their system in the event they need a fourth QB for the second year in a row.
