49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday gave an update on injured quarterback Brock Purdy during their end-of-season press conference.
Initial reports indicated Purdy would likely need surgery and would return to action within six months of that procedure. While another scenario is on the table where Purdy would need 9-to-12 months to recover, Lynch sounded optimistic about the six-month timeline.
“I think the positive bit of news is that it seems to be consistent that the right approach is that one that takes about that six-month mark,” Lynch said. “Now, everybody will also say you never know until you get in there. Every surgeon will tell you that on every surgery, you always like getting in to see exactly. The MRI tells you a lot of the pictures, so they’re continuing to work through that process, but we seem encouraged by the prognosis that that’s kind of where it’s at.”
There was some question as to what exactly Purdy would be able to do after six months, but Shanahan later confirmed that the QB will be a full participant in practice once he’s back.
“That was the coolest thing for me to hear about that once three months is over, they start the rehab of just building the arm back slowly, and by six months it’s built back,” Shanahan said. “And that’s when I started asking questions, does that mean ease him in? When you think of ACLs and they said, no, the buildups been from three-to-six and at six months, he is the same dude and full go, so that was the most encouraging part that I heard.”
Purdy figures to be the team’s starting QB in 2023, but his absence through the offseason program and the first bit of training camp could give Trey Lance an opportunity to climb to the top of the depth chart. While the 49ers monitor any potential starting QB battle, they can do so knowing they’ll have a full-strength version of Purdy once he’s back in action.
