Who is Brandon Allen? 49ers backup quarterback starts vs Packers

On By Littum

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The Green Bay Packers the defense won’t have to face quarterback Brock Purdy once the injury wears off San Francisco 49ers came to Lambeau Field for the Week 12 showdown on Sunday.

Purdy suffered a shoulder injury in the 49ers’ game last week and is among several players on the team’s injury report. That means veteran backup quarterback Brandon Allen will get his first start of the season for the 49ers (5-5) against Packers (7-3).

Allen is in his ninth season in the NFL and has spent his career as a backup. His last start came in the season finale of the 2021 season when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Who is Allen? Here’s what you should know about his stats, his connection to a former Wisconsin head coach and more about the 49ers’ quarterback depth chart:

Brandon Allen’s age

Allen is 32 years old.

Brandon Allen college

Brandon Allen was a three-year starter at Arkansas and led the Razorbacks to bowl victories in his redshirt junior and senior seasons.

Former Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bret Bielema coached Allen during the quarterback’s final three years at Arkansas.

Allen redshirted in 2011 and then served as a backup in 2012.

In his first year as a starter, in Bielema’s first year as head coach, Allen and the Razorbacks struggled. He posted a 13-to-10 touchdown to interception ratio and the team went just 3-9.

His play took off in 2014. He threw 20 TDs to just five picks and was the offensive MVP in the 2014 Texas Bowl as Arkansas finished 7-6.

Allen then finished with 3,440 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his final year in Fayetteville. He led Arkansas to an 8-5 record and a Liberty Bowl victory in 2016.

Brandon Allen draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Allen in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft with the 201st overall pick.

He was the 13th of 15 quarterbacks taken in the draft.

Other notable quarterbacks in the draft class included Jared Goff (No. 1 overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams, now with the Detroit Lions), Carson Wentz (No. 2 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, now a backup with the Kansas City Chiefs), and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (fourth round).

Brandon Allen Super Bowls

Brandon Allen has been on two Super Bowl runner-up teams during his career.

He was the backup to Burrow on the Bengals’ 2021 AFC championship team that fell to the Los Angeles Rams, 23–20, in Super Bowl LVI.

He spent the 2023 season as the 49ers’ third-string quarterback and made the 53-man Super Bowl roster behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.

He was third in 2018 with the Los Angeles Rams, though he spent the year on the practice squad and didn’t make the cut for the Super Bowl roster when LA played the New England Patriots.

Brandon Allen team in his career, statistics

The 49ers are Allen’s fifth team in his nine-year career.

He did not see any action until his fourth season in the NFL when he landed with the Denver Broncos.

Allen played in three games in his first and only season in Denver, completing 46.4% of his passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

He then spent three years with the Cincinnati Bengals (2020-22), getting his most extensive playing time. He started the final five games of 2020 after Burrow suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee during his rookie season. Allen completed 63.4% of his passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Allen saw action in six games in 2021 with one start, in the team’s season finale.

Allen did not play last year in his first season with the 49ers, serving as the third-string QB behind Purdy and Sam Darnold.

In nine games started in his career, his teams have gone 2-7. Overall, he has completed 56.7% of his passes for 1,611 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.

His only tackle this season came on the final snap — a kneeling — inbounds The 49ers’ Week 1 contest against the New York Jets.

49ers quarterback depth chart

With Purdy out, Allen moves to the top of the 49ers’ quarterback depth chart.

Veteran Joshua Dobbs, who spent time with the Minnesota Vikings last season, has been elevated to a backup role.

Behind Allen and Dobbs is a quarterback that Badgers fans are familiar with.

Tanner Mordecai, who spent his final college season with the Badgers in 2023, is a member of the team’s practice squad. He signed with the 49ers after going undrafted in the spring.