Brock Purdy’s recovery from offseason elbow surgery took a step forward Tuesday when he began his throwing program. There are plenty of hurdles left to clear before he’s ready to play in NFL games again, but 49ers general manager John Lynch is encouraged by the progress the second-year quarterback is making.
Lynch in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio said Purdy’s offseason work has allowed him to stay on track for a return in time for the regular season.
“He’s just had one session thus far, but we’re incredibly encouraged by that,” Lynch said. “He’s hitting all his markers and it doesn’t surprise us, because he’s putting in the work.”
The GM also relayed the team is still hopeful Purdy will be available to participate in training camp with eyes on the regular season opener on Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh.
As noted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter, the ramp up process for throwing after elbow surgery is a long one with no cemented timeline for a return:
– And again, there's no fixed timeline on when a throwing athlete who has had UCL repair will be cleared. The first person who ever had it was an HS pitcher in Alabama who was cleared in 5 months, 3 days.
Depends on how throwing program goes and the necessary time window.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) May 31, 2023
For now, any progress is good news. Purdy is on the right path forward. The team just needs to continue hoping there aren’t any setbacks. Until he’s able to participate in full, Trey Lance, Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen will continue holding onto the QB duties through OTAs and training camp.
