When San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was diagnosed with a toe injury following Week 1, some felt it was an ailment that wouldn’t keep him out of action for that long. But he has missed every game, save for a Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, since then.
He is now slated to return and start this Sunday when the Niners visit the Arizona Cardinals. He finally became a full participant in practice on Thursday, and it was a welcome development, given how ravaged they have been by injuries dating back to the beginning of last season.
Per Vic Tafur of The Athletic, surgery was never an option for Purdy. Despite there being rumors that his turf toe would be similar to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, that was apparently not the case.
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Purdy, the last player chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft, became the team’s starter in Week 13 of that season after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo both suffered season-ending injuries. He made the Pro Bowl in 2023 while leading the league in passer rating, quarterback rating and touchdown percentage.
While he has been out, Mac Jones, the No. 15 pick in the 2021 draft, has filled in ably. He was thought to be a bust just months ago, but he has thrown for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 69.6% of his pass attempts in eight games this season.
Jones has played so well and has looked so poised, and the team has done such a solid job with him at the controls that there has been talk lately about a possible quarterback controversy brewing in the Bay Area.
While some pundits have called on San Francisco to stick with Jones, at least for the time being, at QB1, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Purdy will be starting under center this weekend. After all, Purdy has been in Shanahan’s system for three years and has more chemistry with the team’s skill players than Jones, who is in his first season with San Francisco, does.
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The Niners currently have a 6-4 record after losing to the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday and are 1.5 games behind the Rams and Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West. After facing Arizona this weekend, they will play the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns before they have their bye in Week 14.
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