San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy has missed the last six weeks of the season, after suffering a setback in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the turf toe injury he sustained in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Earlier this week, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he wanted to Purdy to have a full week of “aggressive” practices before returning to action.
Purdy was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday, but don’t let the word limited fool you.
“It’ll be an aggressive practice,” Shanahan said. “We’ve just got to put limited if it’s not exactly how it normally is.”
After Purdy – who has missed eight total games this season – returned too soon in Week 4, the 49ers have been understandably cautious in getting their franchise QB back under center. But, over the last few weeks, San Francisco has seen Purdy get stronger and stronger and closer to action.
“I think each week it’s gotten better, with last week being the best,” Shanahan said. “Each week has been different. So, if he takes a big step forward this week, like he did last week, he should have a good chance to play.”
Running back Christian McCaffrey agrees with his head coach and is confident in Purdy once he returns.
“He looked like himself [at practice last week],” McCaffrey said. “…He’s a ballplayer. When it comes to timing, that will be there.”
Backup quarterback Mac Jones has stepped up in Purdy’s absence, leading the 49ers to a 5-3 record, while throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has exceeded expectations, and there are those that believe San Francisco should “stick with the hot hand,” but Purdy is their quarterback, and there are no qualms about that.
“It’s not a hard decision,” Shanahan said. “It’s just more about Brock’s health. It’s been awesome how Mac has played. He has been great. But, we’ve got a lot of confidence in Brock and we know Brock will play at a high level too as long as he’s healthy.”
This is the same Brock Purdy who has led the 49ers to NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl, and the same Brock Purdy that signed a five-year, $265 million contract extension with San Francisco this offseason, so yeah, he’s the guy.
However, the next two days of practice will determine whether or not Purdy is the guy for this week, as the 49ers travel to Arizona for an important divisional game with the Cardinals.
“You can just feel it,” Shanahan said of monitoring Purdy’s readiness. “A guy you’ve been around for a while like I have Brock, you can just feel how the ball comes off, how he moves, how he reacts. I can get in the film room and stare at it for a lot longer than I probably should. I could do that on the field, but I watch other things. But usually, you can feel it on the field.”
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Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since spraining his PCL in the 49ers Week 4 loss to the Jaguars.
“He provides such a spark for our team,” McCaffrey said. “It’s just another weapon. When you get weapons back, when you guys that can make plays back, there’s nothing bad about that.”