Optimism about Brock Purdy’s return for the start of the 2023 regular season is overflowing. There was some concern when he was initially diagnosed with a torn UCL in his throwing elbow that he’d need a full UCL replacement – Tommy John surgery. That would’ve likely knocked him out for the entire year. Instead he had a UCL repair which comes with a much shorter timeline for return.
Purdy, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have all expressed optimism that the QB will be ready to go for the season opener on Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh.
While the QB is following the typical steps and hitting the right benchmarks to be physically ready to play by early September, there’s another aspect of a full return that’s being overlooked and can’t really be assessed until he’s back on the field.
There’ll be a mental hurdle for Purdy to clear once he returns. That’s not just about being able to throw the ball effectively to all areas of the field, but being able to play against a live defense unencumbered by any thoughts of the injury he sustained in the NFC championship game.
Former 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens suffered the same injury while playing for San Francisco in 2020. He had the same internal brace procedure Purdy had, and told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner that the mental aspect of recovery is just as important as the physical part.
“Obviously you focus on the elbow and your physical recovery but it’s equally important to focus on the mental recovery, too,” Mullens told ESPN. “I don’t know if mentally I was as confident as I could have been. I would tell myself, ‘Dude, work on your mind. Have trust and faith that things are going to work out.'”
One of the hallmarks of Purdy’s success in his run of eight starts with the 49ers was his ability to keep his eyes downfield while navigating the pocket and scrambling. He didn’t drop his eyes to look at pass rushers. He felt them and maneuvered accordingly.
It’s an important skill for a quarterback who doesn’t have overwhelming physical tools. Whether he’s able to immediately retain that ability when stepping into a live game scenario is yet to be seen. Even if he’s fully cleared physically, the team will have to see how he responds in live reps against a defense that’s actively aiming to hit him.
That’s another reason the Trey Lance-Sam Darnold battle is so important. Even if Purdy is cleared there could be a timeframe where he’s still getting mentally to a space where he can play at the level the team needs him to be to make him their full-time starter.
It may be the biggest obstacle for him to overcome, and the 49ers won’t know if he’s cleared it until he steps into a game for the first time.
