Brandon

Allen

The No. 3 quarterback last season, Allen is temporarily the No. 2 as the Niners decide what to do behind Brock Purdy. Allen would be arguably the league’s worst backup if San Fran fails to concoct a better plan behind Brock Purdy.

Allen will join Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, and Trey Lance (for now) in the San Francisco QB room, likely as a camp arm. Drafted by the Jaguars in 2016, Allen, 30, has started nine games in the NFL, completing a lowly 56.6 percent of his attempts. He’s spent the past three seasons in Cincinnati.

The 2016 sixth-rounder has been backing up Joe Burrow since 2020. It’s required making six starts. Allen could be in line for more if the Bengals continue to struggle to keep Burrow upright, though they have been investing heavily in their offensive line so far this spring. Headed into his age-30 campaign, Allen is a below-average backup without much pedigree or experience considering his age.

Allen didn’t meltdown while filling in for Joe Burrow, which is somewhat impressive considering he was also playing without all of the Bengals’ usual skill players for most of the game. Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon were inactive, and Ja’Marr Chase exited early in the 1st quarter, after setting the Bengals’ single-season receiving record. Tyler Boyd, C.J. Uzomah, and Samaje Perine were active but operated as reserve players. Allen didn’t embarrass himself and stayed healthy, which is all the Bengals were asking for here.

This was expected for Burrow, who the Bengals don’t want to expose to a setback before the playoffs. Joe Mixon will also miss the game on the COVID list. With Burrow out, the Bengals will start Brandon Allen, downgrading the outlooks for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd.

The Bengals also activated linebacker Germaine Pratt. Allen will back up Joe Burrow, per usual, this week. If Pratt isn’t dealing with any lingering COVID issues, he will start versus the Chiefs.

CB Darius Phillips also landed on the COVID list Monday morning. Allen’s positive COVID test should raise concerns about Joe Burrow’s exposure to the virus a day after he ripped the Ravens for 525 yards and four touchdowns. It’s a situation worth monitoring.

Allen made five starts in 2020 following Joe Burrow’s torn ACL and is in line to make appearances if there’s an unexpected snag in Burrow’s offseason rehab. The 29-year-old has been described as a “mentor” to Burrow but remains a low-level backup option. This signing is bad news for 2019 fourth-rounder Ryan Finley.

It’s tough to imagine a worse outing for a professional quarterback. Even when the Bengals breached the red zone, Allen threw a hideous fade away pick in the end zone to Marcus Peters. The Bengals’ offense has truly been a fantasy football black hole since Joe Burrow’s season ending knee injury. The Bengals must upgrade at backup QB with Burrow uncertain to start the 2021 season.

The Bengals waited until late in the week to name Allen the starter. He responded with his best game as a pro, throwing for a career high in yards and hitting Tee Higgins and Drew Sample for a pair of touchdowns. The Texans’ secondary gave up chunk plays all game, with Higgins, A.J. Green, and Alex Erickson all catching passes over 30 yards. Allen struggled in his previous three starts, so this was a needed step forward. The Bengals will close out the regular season against the Ravens in Week 17.