San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has revealed that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is nearing back to full fitness and could be available for them if they defeat the Dallas Cowboys this weekend.
The Niners have been in scintillating form, winning their last 11 games with a dominant defence along with their improving offense - the latter improving partly down to the most unlikely candidate - rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.
Purdy has been a revelation since coming in as the starter after Garoppolo's injury, winning all seven of his seven games. But he could be benched with Garoppolo soon to be available.
The team came into the season with two starting calibre quarterbacks; Garoppolo had been the man since 2017 when he was traded to them from the New England Patriots. He did lead them to a Super Bowl, but many feel that the quarterback had been hugely elevated by the system around him, as he would make big mistakes at crucial times.
This lead to the team drafting Trey Lance with the third-overall pick, a raw quarterback who has had limited starts throughout his college career, but one who the Niners had thought could take them to the next level.
Lance then earned the starting spot in 2022, with Garoppolo staying on as back-up, but Lance was ruled out for the season in a week two win over the Seattle Seahawks, with Garoppolo regaining his spot.
But like Lance, Garoppolo suffered a serious injury, meaning that Purdy would be the only quarterback on the roster and took the starting role. Purdy is the reigning ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ after he was selected with the 262nd and final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
It's fair to say that no-one expected Purdy to outplay both Garoppolo and Lance, but he has done just that. Despite this, he could be set to lose his place, with Shanahan not ruling out the opportunity of Garoppolo playing again this season.
ESPN reporter Adam Schefter tweeted: "49ers’ HC Kyle Shanahan said Jimmy Garoppolo has an “outside chance” to be ready for the NFC Championship Game if San Francisco were able to advance to it, but that “there’d be a better chance” for him to be ready for the Super Bowl if the 49ers could get that far."
It would be a huge call to bench Purdy, who would remain undefeated as a starter with the team riding an incredible wave of momentum.
Purdy has shown the ability to win as a passer, and running the ball effectively when needing to - something both Lance and 'Jimmy G' have struggled to combine.
