The San Francisco 49ers have run into a few speed bumps to start their 2024 NFL season.
Two-time All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve last weekend, ruling him out until at least Week 6. Deebo Samuel is now expected to miss a few weeks with a calf strain, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk—who held out of training camp and the preseason—hasn't lived up to his new contract through two games.
To add to those woes, the 49ers are coming off a 23–17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium to begin the campaign 1–1.
With all the injury issues and slow starts surrounding the 49ers' offense, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Steve Young has a recommendation for quarterback Brock Purdy—run the ball.
“If Kyle [Shanahan] wanted to lean into Brock being more dynamic—in other words, let's have Brock run the ball out of the huddle, let's have him run the sweep, let's have him run the quarterback draw, figure out how to do the RPOs, and really take advantage of it," Young said on the What the Football podcast on Tuesday. "That’s not the game right now, and if they were going to do that, now’s the time with injuries, to kind of start thinking about Brock being another guy to rush it out of the huddle.
"If they are going to stay with the same plan, the demand for Brock is even greater. He has to be even more honed on his efficiency. ... Inevitably, he’s going to have to do more, he’s going to have to move around more, he’s going to have to put himself at risk more, and he’s going to have to do things that aren’t necessarily his strong suit. And that might provide great things in the future for when they get to the Super Bowl this year and have to face Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson."
Through two weeks, Purdy has thrown for a league-high 550 yards, one touchdown and one interception, adding up to a 96.3 passer rating. He has rushed the ball just three times this season for 23 yards, picking up two first downs with his legs.
Young believes Purdy using his athleticism and speed to help pick up the slack while McCaffrey and Samuel nurse injuries will do nothing but benefit the 49ers in the long run.
"The thing about the 49ers, when they face Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, any big strong prototypical quarterback, they lose," Young said. "So getting their guy more like that, under duress with injuries, might be a good thing.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steve Young Offers Suggestion for Brock Purdy to Propel 49ers Through Injury Issues.
