When the 49ers signed quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the offseason, the presumption was that he would follow a familiar path, one laid out by last year’s primary backup, Sam Darnold. He’d back up Brock Purdy, take the opportunity to shine when possible, get himself shrouded in the mystique of Kyle Shanahan’s offense, then go off and sign a decent free-agent deal with a chance to start next season.

It worked for Darnold, who got $10 million from the Vikings this winter.

But for Dobbs, the plan may be going awry. Rather than securing the No. 2 job, he could well have lost ground to last year’s third-stringer, veteran Brandon Allen. And now, it seems, he might not even be secure as the team’s No. 3, not with the performance of undrafted rookie Tanner Mordecai, who comes in with six years of collegiate experience at three major schools—Oklahoma, SMU and Wisconsin.

According to 49ers beat reporter Cam Inman of the Bay Area Media Group, Mordecai is likely to earn the No. 3 job while Dobbs is headed for a stunning roster cut.

49ers 53-Man Roster Without Joshua Dobbs?

In an article titled, “49ers’ 53-man roster projection before preseason opener,” this week, Inman projects a Purdy-Allen-Mordecai quarterback room, tabbing Doobs as only “in the mix” to make the final 53.

Wrote Inman: “Allen knows the offense better than the other backups, and he took a majority of second-team reps Saturday while Dobbs split time with Mordecai. The 49ers could try to slip their QB3 onto the practice squad, perhaps even Mordecai, an undrafted rookie who Purdy says ‘can rip it’ and now prove it in preseason games to unseat a veteran.”

Dobbs comes in after getting a chance to start 12 games last year. He went 1-7 with the Cardinals, who were a mess with quarterback Kyler Murray injured, but was dealt to Minnesota, where he went 2-2 as the Vikings starter but was demoted during an unsightly 3-0 win over the Raiders.

Dobbs had probably the best game of his NFL career, though, in Week 4 against the 49ers, when he went 28-for-41 passing with 265 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 102.2 passer rating. That game may well have gotten Dobbs a job with the Niners.

Tanner Mordecai Making an Impression

But Mordecai has impressed. Because of his lengthy stay in the college ranks, he is already 24 years old, and turns 25 in November. He spent his first three years with the Sooners, and lost out on the starting role to Murray, then to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and finally to Saints draftee Spencer Rattler.

At SMU, though, he was a star, throwing 72 touchdowns in two seasons, and average of 3.0 per game. He threw a school-record nine touchdowns in 2022, in a 77-63 win over Houston. In his graduate season with the Badgers, Mordecai broke his hand but still managed nine touchdown passes in 10 games.

Mordecai has not gotten all that many reps with the team yet, but he’s made the most of his chances and could earn the job once preseason games get rolling.

“He’s come in and he’s just put his head down and gone to work,” Purdy said. “He studied his butt off, and in meetings, (quarterbacks coach Brian) Griese’s asking him a lot of questions and stuff to push him and help him continue to develop. And he’s staying after practice. When he’s gotten his reps, the last couple of days, he’s done really well.”