49ers Quarterback Mac Jones is NFL's 9th-Best Backup QB Per CBS Sports

CBS Sports believes the 49ers have the ninth-best backup quarterback in the NFL this year.

Dec 1, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws the ball against the Houston Texans in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images | Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

Two years ago, the 49ers had arguably the best backup quarterback in the NFL.

I'm talking about Sam Darnold. He never got to play much because Brock Purdy stayed healthy that season, but had he gotten injured, the 49ers would have been in good hands. Darnold now is the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.

Last year, Darnold started for the Vikings and won 14 games. To replace him, the 49ers signed Joshua Dobbs and kept Brandon Allen -- two stiffs. Neither could win a game when called upon to play last season, so they're gone now.

And in their place, the 49ers signed former first-round pick Mac Jones, who has started 49 games in his career. And he's only 26. And never has played for a good team.

That's why CBS Sports believes the 49ers have the ninth-best backup quarterback in the NFL this year.

"This is almost exclusively about the Kyle Shanahan fit," writes CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin. "Famously pegged a favorite of the San Francisco 49ers coach ahead of the 2022 draft (before the team pivoted to the more athletic Trey Lance with its first-round pick), Jones has yet to replicate the smooth touch of his New England Patriots debut. He's a stylistic match as a take-what's-given point guard, though, even if he's nowhere near as elusive as starter Brock Purdy."

Purdy certainly is more of a playmaker than Jones, but Jones tends to get the ball out of his hands faster than Purdy, who sometimes holds the ball too long while hunting the big play. It will be interesting to see how the offense operates with Jones if he ever has to play.

I'm guessing he'll operate it quite well.