SANTA CLARA — Brandon Allen immersed himself in offensive systems similar to Kyle Shanahan’s over his past three NFL stops, so it’s only fitting that Allen is reportedly joining the 49ers’ quarterback crew for the offseason program.
After not selecting a quarterback among their 11-man draft class, Shanahan requested the 49ers find one to shoulder the workload with Trey Lance and Sam Darnold while Brock Purdy is two months into a six-month rehabilitation from elbow surgery.
The Niners went the weekend without signing an undrafted free agent, then opted for Allen, a 2016 sixth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL Network reported Wednesday morning.
Allen had stints with the Los Angeles Rams (2017-18), the Denver Broncos (2019) and the Cincinnati Bengals, where he helped serve as a mentor and backup to Joe Burrow.
“We’d love to get a fourth guy here. We’ll see which one it is,” Shanahan said Saturday. “We’ll be alright, though, in the offseason. We’ll get to training camp. Hopefully we’ll get Brock back soon.”
Purdy had his throwing elbow repaired March 10, and his recovery timeline will be better learned once he is cleared to start throwing footballs again, presumably in June to begin a three-month stage of rehabilitation. All signs indicate his recovery from internal-brace surgery is on track from the NFC Championship Game injury that ended a rookie season in which he won eight games upon succeeding an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.
“Regardless, we’d love a fourth guy here,” Shanahan added. “You never know how much we end up doing in the OTAs sessions, but it has been good having two guys out there throwing. They have been on their own.”
This week, the 49ers entered Phase 2 of the offseason program, which allows coaches on the field for workouts but no live contact.
Allen, 32, played collegiality at Arkansas, and the 6-foot-2, 209-pound quarterback has appeared in 15 NFL games (2-7 as a starter).
Waived by the Jaguars after spending his rookie year as a third-string backup, Allen joined the Rams for two seasons, learning a scheme similar to the 49ers’. That prompted the 2019 Broncos to claim him off waivers to work with then-offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, formerly the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach.
Allen went 1-2 as the Broncos’ fill-in starter, then found a three-year home with the Bengals, going 1-5 in place of Burrow and posting an infamous 0.0 passer rating in the 2021 regular-season finale (6-of-21, 48 yards and two interceptions in that 38-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens while the eventual AFC champion Bengals rested Joe Burrow and their usual starters.)
Source: www.mercurynews.com