San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was the third-string quarterback entering the 2022 season after being Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was thrust into the starting lineup after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo and helped lead the team to the NFC Championship Game.
Unfortunately, he met the same fate as his teammates at the position. Purdy suffered a serious elbow injury during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which put his return to the field in doubt.
The team was always hopeful that Purdy would be ready to go Week 1 but it all depended on how his surgery and rehab went. Luckily for them, it went well enough that Purdy wasn’t even put on the Physically Unable to Perform to start training camp.
He has been practicing with the team since Day 1, getting back into a rhythm after missing all of the spring practices. 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan is pleased with the progress that has been made.
“I think he’s done great,” coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Sunday. “He has come back. He’s had no arm troubles. He’s been totally healthy. I think he’s getting all his timing back, his rhythm. I was really impressed with him in his two practices.”
While Purdy has been at practice with the 49ers since the start of training camp, he has been put on a strict schedule to limit his reps and gradually build things back up. He is currently throwing for two days and then taking a day off and things will eventually tick up once the regular season gets closer.
“It’s a thought-out plan,” Shanahan said. “I don’t have to memorize it because it’s all on paper.”
While not able to partake in team activities during the spring, Purdy remained hard at work to get healthy. He impressed Shanahan with the work that he put in to ensure that he was ready to take the field once training camp got underway.
The next goal for Purdy is to be ready in Week 1 when the 49ers head on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. General manager John Lynch has already stated that Purdy is the starting quarterback, he just has to be healthy enough to be out there in just over four weeks.
