SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For much of the season, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has looked at backup quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Joshua Dobbs as dual No. 2s behind Brock Purdy.
It has been beneficial for the scout team with two quarterbacks of different skill sets, but it has also made it more difficult to choose who steps in when Purdy isn't available.
That's not necessarily the case this week, as Shanahan announced Wednesday that Dobbs will start for the Niners in the season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
"They've been two good guys to have there," Shanahan said. "Kind of looked at both of them as our two throughout the year but they've both given really good looks on scout team. They split all the reps there. They're always ready. They both prepare like they're going to be the starter every week. They've been great."
The deciding factor this week has as much to do with Dobbs' legs and scrambling ability as his passing prowess, according to Shanahan. The banged-up Niners rotated a pair of tackles recently signed from other teams' practice squads (Charlie Heck and Austen Pleasants) on the left side Monday night against the Detroit Lions. That was after their top three tackles -- Trent Williams (ankle), Jaylon Moore (quad) and Spencer Burford (calf) -- were lost to injury.
At left guard, the Niners are using Nick Zakelj in place of injured starter Aaron Banks (knee) with normal backups Burford and Jon Feliciano (knee) also unavailable. Right tackle Colton McKivitz hasn't been practicing because of a knee issue, though he did play through it against the Lions.
All of which makes having a quarterback capable of running away from defenders even more important. Since entering the league in 2020, Dobbs has scrambled for 421 yards on 77 carries (5.5 yards per attempt) with six touchdowns.
The start will be Dobbs' first as a 49er and the 15th of his career. He previously started two games for the Tennessee Titans, eight for Arizona and four for the Minnesota Vikings.
Dobbs took his only snaps of the season for the Niners in relief of Purdy on Monday night after Purdy departed with a right elbow injury. Imaging on Tuesday showed that Purdy was dealing with a bruised right elbow with nerve inflammation, an injury that isn't expected to be long term but will keep him out this week.
Against the Lions, Dobbs was 3-of-4 for 35 yards and scored a 7-yard touchdown on the ground. While he doesn't have much familiarity with his Niners teammates, he will have wideout Jauan Jennings. Jennings and Dobbs were teammates at the University of Tennessee, worked out together in Dallas in the offseason and will have a chance to play together again in Arizona.
"It sounds great," Jennings said. "I'm happy for Dobbs. ... I'm just excited for him to get a start."