Who is Brandon Allen?
Beginning in his first year at the helm in 2017, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan's teams have had three or more quarterbacks under center four times. Fans have come to almost expect some shuffling at the position every year. Last year was the apex, as all four quarterbacks suffered season-ending injuries at the moment of impact, forcing them to run on every down during their loss in the NFC Championship Game. As a result, the 49ers fans have placed a premium on their third-string quarterback, knowing him better than most teams ever will. So with that being said: who is Brandon Allen?
Early Years
Brandon Allen was born on September 5, 1992 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, starring for the local high school team. As a senior at Fayetteville High School, he threw for 3,408 yards and 38 touchdowns and was ranked by Rivals.com as the fifth-best pro-style quarterback in America. He ended his high school career losing to powerful Bentonville 49-28 in the state championship.
He earned a scholarship to Arkansas where he played sparingly as a redshirt freshman in 2012 before rising through the ranks in 2013 and seizing the starter's job in 2014. That year, he threw for 2,285 yards and 20 touchdowns against just five interceptions. He was even better as a senior, completing 65.9% of his passes for 3,440 yards and 30 touchdowns against just eight interceptions with an absurd 166.5 passer rating. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The NFL
Brandon Allen didn't play a down his first three years in the National Football League. He was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Jaguars built a short-lived contender and the Rams built one of the most talented rosters in the league. In those years, he was either third string or on the practice squad.
After being cut by the Rams at the beginning of 2019, he was picked up by the Broncos two days later. He had to wait til Week 9 to see any sort of action. After Joe Flacco was hurt in Week 8, Allen started the following week against the Browns, completing 12 of 20 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the 24-19 victory.
He started the next two games as well but failed to win as he completed less than half of his passes in both games. He finished the season having played and started in three games, completing 46.43% of his passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bengals
Following the 2019 season, Brandon Allen was released by the Broncos and signed with the Cincinnati Bengals who had just drafted Joe Burrow first overall. From the start, Allen knew that he wouldn't get much of a chance to play.
Until Week 11. When Burrow went down against the Washington Football Team with a torn ACL, Brandon Allen seized the opportunity to prove himself to the rest of the league.
He started the next week against the Giants, losing 19-17 but completing 58% of his passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, game manager numbers. after losing the next two weeks and being sitting out against Pittsburgh, Brandon Allen started against the Texans in the second to last game of the year.
At Houston, Brandon Allen completed 29 of 37 passes for 371 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati's 37-31 win. As good as he was then, he was even more dreadful the following week against the Ravens, completing just six of his 21 passes for a paltry 48 yards and two interceptions in the 38-3 loss.
Joe Burrow came back healthy in 2021 and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl while forcing Brandon Allen to sit on the sidelines for all but the final game of the season. He played decently in the 21-16 loss to Cleveland, completing 51% of his passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, reverting back to his natural game-managing ways.
He stood on the sidelines and watched as his teammates lost the Super Bowl to one of his old teams, the Rams. Burrow was even better the following year and Brandon Allen didn't play a snap.
Present Day
Now Brandon Allen finds himself in a familiar role: third-string on a talented team. But this team is different. The 49ers have been forced to start multiple quarterbacks in the same season numerous times over the years and last year pulled off a bit of a miracle, coming one win short of a Super Bowl appearance with a third-string quarterback, Brock Purdy.
Perhaps talent is just a part of the equation. Perhaps competent coaching is what truly led the team to so much success despite the questions under center. But none of this matters for Brandon Allen if the opportunity never represents itself while he is on the team. For now, he waits.
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