San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is optimistic about his recovery from elbow surgery despite being left with a ‘robotic arm’.
In the NFC Championship Game, the Philadelphia Eagles reached Super Bowl LVII - which they went on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs - as they crushed the 49ers 31-7 after San Francisco suffered a number of crucial injuries. Key defensive stars Fred Warner and Nick Bosa both picked up knocks before rookie quarterback Purdy injured his elbow.
His replacement - fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson - suffered a concussion and left the game himself, so Purdy returned but was a shadow of himself and the Eagles coasted to victory. The 23-year-old underwent ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery on 10 March and he could miss the start of the 2023 NFL season, with 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance set to start the first few games.
The surgery is more common among baseball pitchers and can take up to 12 months to fully recover. However, Purdy - who became the first rookie quarterback to win on his playoff debut since Russell Wilson in 2012 - suggested his rehabilitation programme is ‘going as planned’.
“The protocol is you start throwing at three months, but it all depends on how your therapy and your range of motion and everything goes up until that point,” Purdy told Fox Sports 910-AM in Phoenix. “There are definitely some boxes I have to check off first before I get to that point, but that's the plan as of now.”
Purdy is currently rehabbing in Arizona with physical therapist Keith Kocher, who specialises in treating elbow injuries in baseball pitchers. Purdy insisted Kocher has done the specific elbow rehab plenty of times, while he praised the 49ers’ medical and training staff for their constant monitoring of his progress.
However, he is looking forward to returning to the NFL and continuing his impressive trajectory, adding: “You do have to get past (the injury), but at the same time you have to sort of remember the things that happen, that make you who you are. For me, I'm not going to let something like that tear me down or anything. I’m going to learn from it and we're going to get better.”
Purdy's rehabilitation includes range-of-motion exercises and strength training with the goal of steadily increasing his arm strength. He is currently wearing a hinged elbow brace to protect his arm during therapy which the quarterback admitted looks ‘like I have a robotic arm’ in public.
Purdy is the reigning ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ after he was selected with the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. His path has been remarkable, transitioning from third-string quarterback to starter as the replacement when sophomore Trey Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries.
Despite his injury, Purdy is still expected to be the starting quarterback for the 49ers this season if he is fully healthy. However, he will face competition from a pair of former third overall draft picks in Lance and Sam Darnold, who was signed in free agency.
