SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy calmly stood 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage in a T-shirt, tugged his hands on a towel draped around his neck, and listened with his left ear as a play call was radioed to the quarterbacks, a three-man rotation practicing in his place.
Next week, Purdy expects to start throwing a football for the first time since … the NFC Championship Game loss at Philadelphia, where his arm was struck on the opening series, his UCL was torn, his backup Josh Johnson suffered a concussion, and the 49ers were doomed to a 31-7 exit.
His surgically repaired elbow ligament is getting better by the day, fueling hope he will be ready for the Sept. 10 season opener at Pittsburgh.
“For sure, that’s a goal, right? You want to be ready for the season,” Purdy said after Tuesday’s spectator session. “If that’s the case, great. But we’re staying one day at a time and not saying anything we may regret down the road.”
Only 2 1/2 months ago, Purdy’s ulnar collateral ligament was repaired with an internal brace procedure, eliciting a six-month recovery and putting that timeline right in line with the regular season.
Speaking of a timeline …
“It’s not really a moving target. It’s that only God knows. It’s all estimates,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We’re hoping for Week 1 and I feel pretty optimistic about that. … Usually you have to come back before that to make that goal, and that’s the goal we’re hoping for, and I have no reason to think differently.”
A year ago, Purdy entered OTAs as the draft’s last pick, and he served mostly as an observer while Trey Lance and Nate Sudfeld took most reps.
Tuesday, Lance was back in that first-team role, followed by veteran challenger Sam Darnold, then a sprinkle of former Bengals backup Brandon Allen. (The 7-on-7 passing stats: Lance was 11 of 15, Darnold 12 of 16, Allen 4 of 4.)
Shanahan said Purdy is going through a drill similar to one quarterbacks use to preserve tired arms: grasp a towel and simulate a throwing motion, to work on drop-back footwork in the pocket.
“Brock’s healthy in every other aspect,” Shanahan said. “He can’t move his arm and put weight on it. To still do drops and footwork, he wouldn’t be able to simulate throwing motion, so he uses a towel instead.”
Added Purdy: “Last month or so, it’s about regaining strength, doing everything normal now. It’s feeling good. I feel I can do everything around the house now.”
Two months ago, general manager John Lynch called Purdy the “leader in the clubhouse” as the 49ers’ 2023 starter, and Shanahan echoed that.
Purdy’s reaction: “For me, I try to focus on where I’m at now. It’s about getting my arm healthy. To say you want to be ‘this guy’ or ‘this guy’ for the team, that’s foolish. I’m trying to get my arm right, be around the guys and do what I can to win and get a Super Bowl.”
Once the 49ers’ offseason program ends in a month, after a mid-June minicamp, Purdy will continue his rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida, with the private quarterback coaches he used a year ago, before he reported to camp looking to “scratch and claw” to make the 49ers. He’ll have that same mindset this year, not to make the team but to make the team a Super Bowl contender.
Lance’s comeback
Lance said it took until the end of March for him to feel 100% recovered, mainly from last September’s ankle fracture, but also an August 2021 finger fracture that impacted his grip into last season. While Shanahan said that finger fracture impacted Lance “a ton” for the ensuing year, Lance’s passes Tuesday looked like standard operating procedure, as did his footwork without the aid of an ankle brace.
“I honestly don’t even feel it or think about it,” Lance said of his right ankle, which required a follow-up procedure Dec. 30 to remove stabilizing hardware. “I’m sure something there’ll be something as the season comes up — nothing bad, not missing time, but soreness or things like that — and I’ll just continue to work through it, learn as I go and figure out what works best.”
Shanahan’s focus on Lance’s comeback is more about his footwork — “Play with your feet wider, always be in position to throw” — than how Lance is meshing with teammates as the starter or fill-in starter.
“Trey is a very special person that doesn’t have to act any which way. He has guys’ respect, whether he’s the (No.) 1, 2 or 3,” Shanahan said. “Obviously when you’re the No. 1 quarterback and have experience, that carries more weight. But, also, when you’re the No. 1 quarterback and you haven’t played, that stuff is not real until you go out there and do it.”
Darnold’s rookie approach
Darnold is taking a rookie approach and learning Shanahan’s system, after playing three years with the New York Jets (2018 No. 3 overall pick) and the past two with the Carolina Panthers.
“Learning a new system is always a challenge in itself, but, at the same time it’s pretty fun, to be honest,” Darnold said. “In learning football and hearing the way Kyle talks about some things, and (quarterbacks coach Brian) Griese as well, and Brock and Trey being in it, and Brandon being in Cincy with Joe (Burrow). There’s a lot of good experiences to bounce certain questions off. It’s going to be a fun year and I’m looking forward to it.”
Darnold said an area of self-emphasis is ball protection. He fumbled a snap Tuesday from Keith Ismael, but running back Ty Davis-Price recovered it in stride and ran with the ball.
Veteran roll call
Disclaimer: the offseason program remains voluntary, so there are no demerits or fines for skipping it, up until the June mandatory minicamp. Not seen: defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave; left tackle Trent Williams; wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Ray-Ray McCloud; and safety Talanoa Hufanga, who did attend the 49ers’ fundraiser kickball game Sunday with San Jose Police.
Present but not practicing were linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings (muscle tightness) ran on the side with Greenlaw and cornerback Charvarius Ward.
Returning Pro Bowlers who did practice: running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Watching with a cast on his right wrist: defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight, a practice-squad standout last year.
Offensive line first string (left to right): Jaylon Moore, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Colton McKivitz.
