49ers GM ‘incredibly encouraged’ as Brock Purdy resumes throwing

Uncertainty has swirled around the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback situation since Brock Purdy tore an elbow ligament in the NFC Championship Game last season. However, hope he will in fact be ready to play at the start of the regular season is growing after he reached the latest milestone in his recovery.

Purdy, having undergone surgery to repair a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) on March 10, resumed throwing a football this week.

That is a pleasing development in itself for the 49ers, but even greater intrigue was sparked by general manager John Lynch’s comments about Purdy’s return to throwing.

“There are certain markers that you hit,” Lynch told SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t 49ers Webzone). “He was 12 weeks out [from surgery], and that meant it was time to throw. He did so and responded really well. He’s just had one session thus far, but we’re incredibly encouraged by that. And Brock’s a worker. If you give him a task, he’s going to do everything in his power.

“So these are just timelines and timelines are just that; they’re guidelines. But when I say he’s ‘tracking well,’ it’s just he’s hitting all his markers, and it doesn’t surprise us because he’s putting in the work.”

It is important to add caveats to Lynch’s apparent excitement at Purdy’s progress. As he pointed out, Purdy has only had one throwing session to this point and it was said to be with lighter footballs.

Greater tests will come further down the road in his rehab as Purdy shifts to heavier footballs and a higher number of throws

But, with Trey Lance and Sam Darnold previously viewed by many as competing to fill in at quarterback for the opening weeks of the season, Purdy’s apparent strides increase the possibility neither will be required to do so.

“And as for best-case scenario, we’re just going to kind of take it as it comes,” Lynch added. “But the hope is he’s ready for training camp. The hope is he’s ready for the regular season.”

Purdy being ready for training camp would, at least on the surface, set the stage for a quarterback competition with former third overall picks Lance and Darnold.

Yet after winning his first seven starts before the devastating injury in the Conference Championship, the overwhelming likelihood is the final pick in last year’s draft will, if healthy, be in the box seat to start under center for the Niners.

Deservedly dubbed the “leader in the clubhouse” by Lynch following a stretch run that saw him rank second in Expected Points Added per play among quarterbacks across the final five weeks of the regular season, the reality is Purdy’s lead over Lance and Darnold will likely be too big for either to bridge on the practice field.

If the 49ers get their best-case scenario in terms of his recovery, Purdy will be the quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.