San Francisco 49ers: Will Dylan Thompson become backup quarterback?

By Brian Spaen | Jul 26, 2015

One position that the San Francisco 49ers don’t have to worry about coming into the 2015 season is starting quarterback. Colin Kaepernick had his issues last season, but considering what’s behind him on the depth chart, everyone is waiting to see how big of an improvement he made this offseason. That leaves a position that should be addressed — backup quarterback.

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Currently on the 49ers’ depth chart at quarterback, it’s Blaine Gabbert and Dylan Thompson. Not too many are impressed with Gabbert so far, and rightfully so. He’s looked dysmal in all of his preseason outings since joining the 49ers in 2014. In his debut game, he completed just 3-of-11 passes for 20 yards and had an interception.

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Gabbert is now a year separated from his failed three-year stint as the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback. The former Missouri quarterback was thrown into the fire his rookie season back in 2011 when the Jaguars quickly moved on from David Garrard and Luke McCown. By Week 3, Gabbert was named the starter and was their leader for the rest of the season.

The stats he accumulated were not impressive — he has a 66.8 QB rating, has completed 53.2 percent of his passes, and has a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio (23 TDs, 24 INTs). He was also named the worst backup quarterback in the league by Mark Sessler of NFL.com.

Still, San Francisco thinks Gabbert is competent enough to sign him on for two years, but that doesn’t mean he’s locked in as the backup. The team should be looking for someone to supplant him and get a quality guy behind Kaepernick. Considering the 49ers’ current starting quarterback has the ability to take off with his feet, he’s in more danger of being knocked out of a game.

Since there’s only one other backup to look at, sights are set on Thompson. He was scooped up by the team after he went unchosen in the 2015 NFL Draft. Statistically, Thompson is a gold mine. At South Carolina last season, the quarterback set a school record of 3,564 passing yards and added 26 touchdowns.

Aug 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) runs during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Another plus is familiarity on the team. There are three offensive weapons that Thompson has played with in the past at USC — running back Mike Davis, tight end Busta Anderson, and wide receiver Bruce Ellington.

None of them are locks to even make it on the roster this upcoming season, but there’s that potential to make Thompson look good in the preseason.

There’s plenty of work ahead for Thompson, however. 49ers fans may be ready to move on, but a scouting report at NFL.com explains how the quarterback has lots of problems with stepping into his throws. Not having proper footwork is a death sentence in this league. If it doesn’t improve, it will be exploited.

Thompson also doesn’t have a large amount of experience. For as great of a year as he had last season with the Gamecocks, it was his only season as a starter.

Can Thompson overtake Gabbert as the starter? Considering how bad Gabbert can look, anything’s possible. However, it shouldn’t be expected.

Since Gabbert has signed a $2 million deal, he’s not going to sit on the bench as a third-stringer. He’s either going to be the backup or cut, and that would look really odd after the team just resigned him back in March.

Sending Gabbert packing would be the best case scenario for Thompson, but more realistic expectations would be for him to make it onto the practice squad in 2015.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Expectations for Jerome Simpson

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