7 Players Who Could Become QB3 After Trey Lance Deal
The 49ers’ tough decisions under center didn’t end when they decided to trade Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.
Now they will have to decide how they want to work with their 53-man roster and whether they want to keep QB Brandon Allen. They could also release him and risk signing with another team rather than return to the practice squad in San Francisco.
Allen received high praise from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the OTAs, but his reps were greatly diminished while he sat behind both Sam Darnold and Trey Lance for most of the preseason. His final pre-season outing wasn’t inspiring either, leaving the door open for the 49ers to release him and find a different third QB if Allen doesn’t return to them.
The 49ers typically have three QBs in the building, even if two are on the roster and one is on the practice squad. With the new emergency QB rule allowing teams to designate an emergency QB on game days, it’s hard to imagine San Francisco not taking advantage given their injury troubles at the position last year.
Teams have already started the process of reducing their rosters, and some interesting names are available. Here are seven players who can hold down the #3 QB spot this year in San Francisco:
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
There’s certainly a chance the 49ers will keep Allen on the 53-man roster. Our ultimate expectation was his release, but even then, Allen could have signed again with the San Francisco coaching staff.
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The Cardinals released McCoy on Monday. Not subject to waivers as a veteran. Perhaps a team in need of a backup QB will want McCoy enough to make him the No. 2 signal caller. For the 49ers, he would serve as an ideal third QB. He’s very experienced, knows his role as a back-up player, and is capable of winning a game or two if pushed into action.
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
Walker was a veteran released by the Bears. He started five games for the Panthers last year under interim head coach and now 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes. The 28-year-old is 4-3 in seven starts as a pro, but his numbers haven’t been great. He completed 57.5 percent of his throws with five touchdowns and 11 smart strikes. He has plenty of NFL experience and enough playing ability to make life difficult on defense initially.
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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 pre-season, but he’s a fine athlete who threw 739 passes over four years in college, averaged 7.9 yards per attempt and made 73 touchdowns against 28 interceptions.
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McSorley hasn’t had much success in his NFL career since joining the Ravens as a sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft. He spent the last year with Arizona and was released by the Patriots as a veteran. He completed only 51.6 percent of his 48 NFL throws with one touchdown and five interceptions.
(Photo by Jaylen Morse/Getty Images)
Blackman is an interesting possibility. Miami signed him as an undrafted rookie this year after he spent four years at Florida State and two years at Arkansas State. He has been listed at 6-6, 185 and has thrown over 1,200 tackles in college. His stats don’t jump off the page, but he has enough arm talent and plenty of experience. He also spent the preseason with the Dolphins under head coach Mike McDaniel, so Kyle Shanahan’s offense shouldn’t be entirely foreign.
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Ta’amu has bounced around an NFL a tons Since entering the league as an undrafted starter in 2019. He has experience as a coaching QB and put up numbers in college that provide at least some optimism that he can get some sort of NFL career. He also led the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2022 when he was the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Bandits. He will be subject to waivers, but the 49ers are unlikely to use a waiver claim on him. It is more likely that if he joins the team he will be an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers.
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