The 49ers tough decisions under center didn’t end when they decided to trade Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Now they’ll have to decide how they want to operate with their 53-man roster and whether they want to keep QB Brandon Allen. They could also release him and risk him signing on with another team instead of returning to San Francisco’s practice squad.
Allen received high praise from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after OTAs, but his reps diminished greatly while he sat behind both Sam Darnold and Trey Lance for most of the preseason. His final preseason outing wasn’t inspiring either, leaving open the door for the 49ers to release him and find a different third QB if Allen doesn’t make it back to them.
Typically the 49ers have had three QBs in the building, even if it’s two on the roster and one on the practice squad. With the new emergency QB rule that allows teams to designate an emergency QB on game days, it’s tough to imagine San Francisco not taking advantage of that given their injury woes at the position last year.
Teams have already started the process of cutting down their rosters, and some interesting names are available. Here are seven players who could hold down the third QB spot this year in San Francisco:
Brandon Allen
There’s certainly a chance the 49ers just keep Allen on the 53-man roster. Our final projection had him getting released, but even in that case Allen could re-sign with San Francisco’s practice squad.
Colt McCoy
The Cardinals released McCoy on Monday. He isn’t subject to waivers as a vested veteran. Perhaps a team in need of a backup QB will covet McCoy enough to make him their No. 2 signal caller. For the 49ers he’d be a perfect third QB. He has a ton of experience, knows his role as a backup, and is capable of winning a game or two if he does get pushed into action.
Phillip Walker
Walker was a vested veteran released by the Bears. He started five games for the Panthers last year under interim head coach and now 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. The 28-year-old is 4-3 in seven starts as a pro, but his numbers haven’t been great. He’s completing 57.5 percent of his throws with five touchdowns and 11 INTs. He has plenty of NFL experience though and enough play making ability to make life tough on a defense in a spot start.
Max Duggan
Duggan was waived by the Chargers after they took him in the seventh round of this year’s draft. The former TCU star didn’t have a great preseason, but he’s a good athlete who threw 739 passes across four years in college, averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and put up 73 touchdowns against 28 interceptions.
Trace McSorley
McSorley hasn’t had a ton of success in his NFL career since joining the Ravens as a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft. He spent last year with Arizona and was released by the Patriots as a vested veteran. He’s completed just 51.6 percent of his 48 throws in the NFL with one touchdown and five interceptions.
James Blackman
Blackman is an interesting prospect. Miami signed him as an undrafted rookie this year after he spent four years at Florida State and two at Arkansas State. He’s listed at 6-6, 185 and he threw over 1,200 passes in college. His stats don’t jump off the page, but he has adequate arm talent and plenty of experience. He also spent the preseason with the Dolphins under head coach Mike McDaniel, so the Kyle Shanahan offense shouldn’t be entirely foreign.
Jordan Ta'amu
Ta’amu has bounced around the NFL a ton since entering the league as an undrafted rookie in 2019. He has experience as a practice squad QB and put up numbers in college that provide at least some optimism that he could carve out some kind of NFL career. He also led the USFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2022 when he quarterbacked for the Tampa Bay Bandits. He will be subject to waivers, but it’s unlikely the 49ers would use a waiver claim on him. It’s more likely if he joined the team it’d be as an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers.
