Kyle Shanahan Explains Why the 49ers Signed Joshua Dobbs

SANTA CLARA -- One of the most intriguing new players on the 49ers is backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs.

He's smart, he's athletic and he seems to fit the 49ers offensive scheme. On Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan explained why the 49ers signed him.

“I was just surprised when the guy gets traded when the preseason is over and I forget what week we saw him, Week Four and just see a guy have that much command of the offense that fast to miss an offseason and stuff, an offense you didn't play on is real tough. Going against him and studying him going into those games and after because he was on Minnesota too, it was cool how he gave his team a chance to win and being new to it and just being able to have totally command of whatever scheme he was doing. When we got to see him in a number of different ones last year and you could see that when given the opportunity, he figured it out, gave his team a chance to win. From a backup guy, that's the first thing that you want is just a chance for a guy to come in and give your team a chance to win. I also think he's got the ability to do a little bit more than that.”Kyle Shanahan

Dobbs started last season on the Browns, got traded to the Cardinals during the preseason, beat the Cowboys a month later, got traded to the Vikings midseason and went 2-2 with them. Which is impressive, considering Kirk Cousins was 4-4 with the Vikings last season.

So if Brock Purdy goes down for a month, the 49ers still should be able to win with Dobbs.