SAN FRANCISCO — When Brock Purdy went under the knife to have surgery on his elbow in mid-March, the expectation was he'd be cleared to play around Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season - putting Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers in a tough spot.
However, as training camp gets underway for San Francisco, the team revealed Purdy is medically cleared and ready to go - although he'll still be brought along slowly in the early going.
At first glance Purdy's early return seems like bad news for Trey Lance and Sam Darnold, who are competing with Purdy to be QB1 in San Francisco, but Locked on 49ers host Brian Peacock explained to Peter Bukowski of Locked on Sports Today why he thinks it's actually the opposite.
"In some odd ways it might even be better for Trey Lance and Sam Darnold, because they have somebody to compete with," Peacock said. "Rather than competing with a ghost, this guy who just on this amazing run last year in December and January and you're competing with that. That would have been nearly impossible in the eyes of Kyle Shanahan. Now it's Brock Purdy's job to lose, but I don't think it's over either, this is going to be an interesting one.'
Shanahan told reporters Purdy is going to be with the starters when he is out there, but he'll be limited to only throwing two days in a row - giving Lance and Darnold real opportunities to pass him on the depth chart.
Purdy was the final player selected in the 2023 NFL draft, but after injuries decimated SF's quarterback room he stepped up and posted a 5-0 record to end the regular season while leading the team to a pair of playoff victories over Seattle and Dallas, respectively.
Lance and Darnold are both former No. 3 overall picks who have not lived up to expectations so far, although injuries have been the primary culprit for Lance. Lance's dual threat skills are a great match for Shanahan's offense, but he'll have to pass a healthy Purdy on the depth chart if he wants to start the season under center in the Bay.