Though QB Brock Purdy hasn’t officially been named the San Francisco 49ers’ Week One starter, he’s right on track to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10. 49ers GM John Lynch spoke with the media Tuesday and confirmed Purdy has officially been cleared to practice, saying “he’s ready to go.”
Lynch also said Purdy will practice two out of every three days to start camp. When he does work, he’ll take first-string reps.
“He’s gonna be without restrictions now,” Lynch told reporters Tuesday. “Having said that, we’re sticking and we’re adhering to a plan that’s been put in place for some time.”
Purdy suffered a severe elbow injury in last year’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The last pick of the 2022 draft, Purdy went from relative unknown to starter after San Francisco saw Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo go down in front of him. In five starts, Purdy went undefeated and threw 13 touchdowns to just four interceptions, completing 67.1-percent of his passes. He threw three touchdown passes in the team’s Wild Card win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Throughout the offseason, the news on Purdy has been positive and there’s every reason to believe he’ll be the team’s Week One starter, though he probably won’t officially be cleared in that capacity until later next month. If for any reason Purdy is unable to play, the 49ers will turn to either Sam Darnold or Lance. Based on media reports, Darnold would seem to be the favorite.
But Purdy’s cleared just about every hurdle in the process. The only ones left are getting in some preseason action and then being good to go for the regular season, when his 49ers will travel across the country to take on the Steelers.
In other 49ers news, DE Nick Bosa is unlikely to practice until he receives a new contract. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Bosa led the NFL with 18.5 sacks last season. A deal seems likely to be worked out ahead of the regular season.
