San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy bounced back from offseason surgery to the extent the team is seeing signs of improvement entering his second season, general manager John Lynch said Thursday.
Purdy, 23, is a full participant in training camp following surgery in March to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow. He sustained the injury during the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I think it’s why it’s so important to bring the right kind of people, because not only, while they’re playing, is it going to lead to their success, but when they get injured, how are they going to attack that rehab?” Lynch said Thursday. “And Brock has just done a tremendous job since day one. There were some hurdles early on. We had to push the surgery back, but that decision was made for the right reason. They wanted the best outcome.
“And we always knew Brock would attack it, but you kind of hang on and you don’t know. He kept hitting every marker that we had. They felt good about his ability to show up on day one of training camp and be ready, but you don’t believe it until you see it. And Brock’s done a tremendous job, and he’s a part of a group, a quarterback room with Trey [Lance], with Sam [Darnold], with Brandon Allen, along with Brock, that we feel really good about.
Barring any setbacks, Purdy appears to be on track to lead the 49ers when they open the regular season on Sept. 10 at Pittsburgh. Lance is returning from a severe right ankle injury that required multiple surgeries, and Darnold is new to the Bay Area after stops with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
“Brock’s doing great,” Lynch said. “There’s still a plan in place. So often, people will see two days on, one day off, two days on, two days off, but he’s really making the strides we want to see and playing at a high level, and picking up exactly where he left off last year.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said at the outset of training camp that Purdy would be a pitch count that includes full off days.
“The throwing plan’s a little different. We’re never going to have him go three days in a row,” he said.
Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was thrust into action as a rookie following season-ending injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, and he was a revelation for the 49ers.
He went 5-0 as a starter to finish the regular season, leading San Francisco to the NFC West title. He completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
In the postseason, Purdy was 2-1 with three touchdowns, no interceptions and 569 yards.
–Field Level Media