04 August 2023 , 16:56
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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has full confidence in Brock Purdy going into the new season.
The Niners are expected to have Purdy as their starting quarterback for the 2023 NFL regular season. However, there have been doubts over the QB’s fitness after a lengthy lay-off with injury.
Purdy suffered a serious elbow injury during the NFC Championship game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on January 29. The 23-year-old underwent surgery in March on an ulnar collateral ligament injury in the elbow of his throwing arm and has been recovering ever since.
Ever since organised team activities (OTAs) began in May, there has been talk about whether or not Purdy would be fit to begin the new season this September. It was confirmed on July 26 that Purdy would be taking part in training camp, with a view to being available in time for Week One of the NFL season.
The Niners also have Trey Lance and San Darnold in the QB room ahead of the new season, who are all expected to compete with Purdy for the starting spot. And head coach Shanahan is full of confidence that Purdy, who replaced Jimmy Garoppolo in the team last season, will return to his best after the injury.
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“I don’t think anyone’s back to where they were, exactly, last season,” said Shanahan, via . “We’re going through training camp, a lot of guys had more practices than him.
“He’ll get there. He’s doing some good things. We’re not worried about Brock. Brock’s the real deal, he knows how to play and we just have to have our team keep getting better and we’ll keep getting better as we go.”
In July, Niners general manager John Lynch outlined the training programme that Purdy would be undergoing during pre-season. There are friendly games against the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers.
San Francisco 49ers head Coach Kyle Shanahan is confident that Brock Purdy will be back to his best after undergoing elbow surgery (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)Lynch confirmed that Purdy would not have any restrictions during training camp, after working on his rehabilitation following the successful surgery in March.
“He’s going to be without restrictions,” Lynch said at a press conference on July 26. “Now, having said that, we’re sticking, and we’re adhering to a plan that’s been put in place for some time.
"And he got after it the last couple of days — we upped his pitch count, so it was kind of the peak of the buildup. So he’ll take off Day 1 (on Wednesday). But we believe in the plan.
“So, he’s cleared without restriction. There will be some time off due to pitch count, and all that, sticking to the plan. But the great news is, Brock has worked his tail off, and he’s ready to go.”