Josh Dobbs on Brock Purdy: 'I respected him so much'

Josh Dobbs knew he'd play a backup to Brock Purdy by signing with the 49ers, but the former still relishes the opportunity to play alongside the MVP candidate.

When the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Arizona Cardinals back in Week 4 last season, then-starting quarterback Josh Dobbs ended up giving the Niners plenty of fits despite head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad coming away with a 35-16 victory at Levi's Stadium.

Despite being on the losing end of the game, Dobbs nevertheless impressed by throwing for 265 yards with two touchdowns against no interceptions while also rushing for 48 yards.

Once the red birds got their starting signal-caller, Kyler Murray, back from injury, Dobbs' solid efforts over the first few weeks of the season translated into a trade with the Minnesota Vikings after they lost veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a season-ending injury of his own.

But it was that effort against San Francisco in Week 4 that helped convince Shanahan and Co. that Dobbs would be worth pursuing as a free agent in 2024.

Despite knowing he'd be a backup to the 49ers' own high-profile starter, Brock Purdy, Dobbs nevertheless jumped at the opportunity to come to the Bay Area.

Turns out, Dobbs was drawn not only to Shanahan's offense but also the chance to play with Purdy, too.

Josh Dobbs praises Brock Purdy, says 49ers QB will 'put his team in a great position'

Dobbs joined ESPN's Adam Schefter on the latter's podcast, and you can listen to the entire interview below:

That game in which Dobbs faced off against Purdy early in the season left its mark, as the former pointed out:

"We played him in Arizona, and that's why I respected him so much. ... Now, he does have a great cast, but at the end of the day, he has to be the decision-maker and the driving force of the offense, and the way he makes good decisions, takes care of the football and plays just efficient, clean football. Like, he might not go out there and make the wild play all the time, but he's going to go out there and put his team in a great position to be successful. And that's what you have to do, especially in the [Kyle] Shanahan offense, and then obviously, especially when you have some really good weapons around you."

Dobbs stressed that Purdy is making the most of his situation. While some believe that the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft is merely a game manager and thrives solely because of Shanahan's offense and because of the supporting cast,

But Dobbs isn't buying the notion that Purdy's success is merely because of the environment:

"That's why I've respected seeing how he's been able to quickly do that from the first year, getting thrown into the fire, because I know what that feels like. And then being able to go to the NFC Championship Game, be one injury away from going to the Super Bowl, and then go to the Super Bowl the next year in the midst of, obviously, all the people trying to say he's a game manager, yada, yada, yada."

Dobbs, who joined San Francisco on a one-year deal, is expected to compete with returning backup Brandon Allen for the 49ers' No. 2 quarterbacking role behind Purdy.

That battle will be modest but one nevertheless worth watching when training camp rolls around later this summer.

Hat tip to 49ers Webzone for the find and transcription.

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