49ers Brock Purdy cleared to start training camp
Niners quarterback Brock Purdy, returning from elbow surgery, took all of the first-team snaps during practice of training camp in Santa Clara. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
2023.07.25 – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been cleared to take part in training camp after undergoing surgery on his throwing elbow in the off-season.
General manager John Lynch said Tuesday that Purdy has been given the green light from doctors to practice after making good progress in his rehabilitation.
“He going to be without restrictions,” Lynch said. “Having said that, we’re sticking and we’re adhering to a plan that’s been put in place for some time. … We believe in that plan. He’s cleared without restriction. There will be some time off due to pitch count and all that. But the great news is Brock has worked his tail off and he’s ready to go.”
Purdy’s right elbow has been the dominant story line of the San Francisco 49ers’ offseason. The intense interest in the surgery to repair his torn ulnar collateral ligament, along with his rehabilitation, has been understandable, given Purdy’s fairy-tale transformation from anonymous rookie to indispensable player last season.
Purdy will be eased back into the flow and won’t throw more than two days in a row, so he won’t take part in the team’s first practice Wednesday after ramping up before camp.
2023.07.25 (The Krueg Show) REACTION To 49ers 1st day Training camp
Quarterbacks Trey Lance #5, right, Brock Purdy #13, center, Sam Darnold #14, left, and Brandon Allen #4 work out during drills at Levi’s Stadium. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle
2023.07.25 (The Krueg Show) REACTION To 49ers 1st day Training camp
2023.07.25 (The Krueg Show) REACTION To 49ers 1st day Training camp
With the 49ers reporting for training camp, Purdy’s recovery remains the biggest story on a team coming off a 13-4 season and poised for another Super Bowl run. Purdy resumed throwing in late May — ahead of schedule — and all signs have pointed to him returning to practice at some point during camp and starting the season opener at Pittsburgh on Sept. 10.
Purdy is expected to resume his role as starter with the first team at practice Thursday, with Trey Lance and Sam Darnold sharing first-team reps when Purdy can’t go.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Purdy to be back practicing every day in about two weeks. Shanahan has gotten video updates on Purdy’s progress and watched from his office when Purdy has been at the the team facility but hasn’t seen him practice up close.
But from what he has seen, Shanahan said he “looks like Brock” and isn’t worried that he lost any power on his throws.
“We haven’t seen his max velocity. I’m not trying to see that yet,” Shanahan said. “It’ll be back to how it was. I was hoping for like a ‘Rookie of the Year’ type thing. If you’ve seen that movie when you were younger, like it was just going to come back all of a sudden, the fastest on the planet. But I think it’s going to be the same.”
Purdy tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on the first drive of a 31-7 loss in the NFC title game against Philadelphia on Jan. 29.
The now QB1 for the 49ers went from the last pick of the draft to the starter in the conference title game in an impressive rookie season. He won his first seven starts before the loss to Philadelphia in the conference title game.
Purdy threw for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions in the regular season and his 108 passer rating in the regular season and playoffs was the highest ever for a rookie with at least 200 passes.
2023.07.25 (95.7fm The Game :Brock Purdy is Cleared!)
Quarterbacks Brock Purdy, right, and Sam Darnold drop back during training camp in Santa Clara on Thursday. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle
2023.07.25 (95.7fm The Game :Brock Purdy is Cleared!)
2023.07.25 (95.7fm The Game :Brock Purdy is Cleared!)
The Niners are happy to have him back well before the start of the season.
“That’s awesome,” star running back Christian McCaffrey said. “I think everybody was fired up to hear that. It’s a testament to him. He’s put in so much work. … The fact that he’s ready to go is exciting for all of us.”
Backup competition
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers were “Trey’s team” when they reported for training camp last season.
But after Lance’s broken ankle, Purdy’s ascension and the signing of Sam Darnold, there has been speculation about how long the No. 3 pick in 2021 will remain on his current team, partly fueled by general manager John Lynch’s pre-draft acknowledgement that Lance was available for the right price.
It’s folly to predict the future when it comes to the 49ers’ QB situation. But the star-studded team will be facing a salary-cap crunch in 2024 and Lance is scheduled to count $11 million against the cap, a prohibitive figure for a backup.
At the moment, the focus is on whether Lance can serve as the primary backup to Purdy. Lance shared first-team snaps during spring practices with Darnold, the No. 3 pick in 2018 who is trying to prove his nightmarish career start is primarily a byproduct of coaching upheaval and subpar supporting casts.
The winner of the competition figures to have a chance to alter his career arc while overseeing an offense stacked with playmakers. Purdy, the undersized QB who made eight starts last season, injured his oblique and ribs before suffering his elbow injury.
2023.07.25 (Lombardi) Purdy FULLY CLEARED, Bosa not at camp
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow less than five months ago. Josie Lepe/Associated Press
2023.07.25 (Lombardi) Purdy FULLY CLEARED, Bosa not at camp
2023.07.25 (Lombardi) Purdy FULLY CLEARED, Bosa not at camp
The 49ers are starting camp without 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa on the field. Bosa is seeking a long-term contract and could be in line for the richest deal of any defensive player. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the only defensive player with a contract worth at least $30 million a year after signing a three-year, $95 million extension last offseason.
Bosa led the NFL with 18 1/2 sacks last season and has 43 in 51 career games. He is currently under contract on the fifth-year option for $17.9 million this season. He is subject to fines of $40,000 a day if he doesn’t show up to camp, according to the collective bargaining agreement, but the team can waive those fines because he is still on a rookie contract.
The Niners don’t expect Bosa to practice until a new deal is signed. Lynch is hopeful of coming to a resolution soon.
“We got a pretty good track record of having our guys here and done with contracts,” he said. “This one may be perhaps a little more complex and no timelines there, but I tell you that we’re working hard. We have good communication and we got to keep doing that. And the interest is mutual.”
NOTES: Rookie CB Darrell Luter will open camp on the physically unable to perform list after hurting his knee in offseason practices. … P Mitch Wishnowsky hurt his back lifting weights before camp and will be placed on the non-football injury list. Lynch didn’t believe the injury was serious. … The Niners signed CB Terrance Mitchell to a one-year deal. Mitchell has played 94 games over eight seasons with Dallas, Chicago, Kansas City, Cleveland, Houston and Tennessee.
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