The San Francisco 49ers expect to have quarterback Brock Purdy under center when they come to Acrisure Stadium for the first week of the 2023 season this fall.
Purdy suffered an elbow injury during the playoffs last season that required surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament. The procedure, known as an internal brace surgery, is not the more-invasive UCL reconstruction, better known as Tommy John surgery.
That procedure would have kept Purdy out for a over a year. Instead, the 49ers are now expecting that he will be ready for the start of training camp, head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday.
Kyle Shanahan says that barring setbacks, the 49ers expect Brock Purdy back by training camp. Purdy has already been making throwing motions with a towel — not yet with a ball (that’s expected in June)
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) May 11, 2023
Purdy has three backups, in deposed 2022 starter Trey Lance, former high draft pick Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen. It’s not clear who will play if Purdy does have to miss time, but right now, it’s looking like the 2022 rookie of the year will be good to go for Week 1 in Pittsburgh.
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That will set up a showdown between the two most productive quarterbacks taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. After being selected as the final overall pick in the seventh round, Purdy played in nine games and made five starts, completing 114 of 170 passes (67.1%) for 1,374 yards. He threw for 13 touchdowns, four interceptions and maintained a 107.3 passer rating.
Steelers starter Kenny Pickett was the first quarterback off the board, taken at No. 20 overall. He played in 13 games and started 12, completing 245 of 389 passes (63%) for 2,404 yards. He threw for seven touchdowns and nine interceptions for a 76.7 passer rating.
Pickett and Purdy were the only two quarterbacks to complete over 100 passes or throw for over 1,000 yards. Bailey Zappe threw for 781 yards in four games as New England’s backup, while Desmond Ridder took over late for Atlanta, throwing for 708 yards in four games.