A day after he didn’t attempt a single throw in practice, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy — who’s dealing with what the team has termed a sore shoulder — left practice early, then postponed his typical Thursday media session.
Purdy threw a handful of passes during warmups on Thursday. Head trainer Dustin Little then rubbed Purdy’s throwing shoulder before the quarterback exited the field around the start of the third practice period.
Members of the media are not allowed to film quarterbacks throwing until the fourth period of practice, so Thursday’s only available footage is of Purdy running in the first session.
Here’s Brock Purdy during initial warmups today, before he began throwing. We’re not allowed to film QBs throwing until Period 4, and Purdy left the field around the start of Period 3 pic.twitter.com/0MdqhVCOl6
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 21, 2024
Purdy didn’t hold his standard press conference after practice and was not in the 49ers’ locker room during the media window. Coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to KNBR about Purdy’s status at around that time.
“He was still limited today,” Shanahan said. “He didn’t do as much yesterday; did a little bit more today. But by no means was he doing his normal workload — went out there and did a little. Went back in about halfway through and rested his arm up, continued to get his rehab. Hopefully, it will feel great on Sunday.”
If Purdy can’t play, veteran Brandon Allen will start in his place for the 5-5 49ers’ critical game against the 7-3 Green Bay Packers. Josh Dobbs is the 49ers’ third-string quarterback, and rookie Tanner Mordecai is on the practice squad.
Purdy did miss a key pass that he typically makes near the end of last week’s 20-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, throwing high to receiver Deebo Samuel on a dig route that could’ve at least come close to sealing the game. But Shanahan said Purdy’s passes weren’t affected by his shoulder injury.
“In terms of his throwing, I didn’t see anything that looked any different,” Shanahan said. “He didn’t complain about that in any way to me.”
There’s another interesting nugget that’s worth tracking — although it’s impossible to draw a firm link between it and Purdy’s shoulder issue. Purdy attempted 29 deep passes (throws that travel at least 20 yards in the air beyond the line of scrimmage) over the 49ers’ first eight games. But he hasn’t attempted a single deep pass over the past two games, per Pro Football Focus.
Heading into Green Bay’s Lambeau Field with a QB battling through a shoulder injury is familiar territory for the 49ers. When they last visited the Packers for a January 2022 divisional playoff game, then-49ers starter Jimmy Garoppolo had just torn capsules in his throwing shoulder. Garoppolo and the 49ers strained through, winning in the snow at the final gun with Robbie Gould’s field goal.
Later that year, the 49ers drafted Purdy. He took over in November 2022 after Garoppolo broke his foot and has held the team’s starting job even through a devastating injury. Early in the January 2023 NFC Championship Game, Purdy tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. He underwent successful surgical repair, which used a new internal brace technique and bypassed the more intrusive “Tommy John” procedure, to return in time for the 2023 season opener in September. He was an MVP finalist that year.
Now, the 49ers wait to see how Purdy will feel by Sunday. They might also have decisions to make on the status of left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and edge rusher Nick Bosa (hip/oblique), both of whom have yet to practice this week.
Shanahan said determinations on that duo’s availability might stretch all the way to game time, setting the table for an especially dramatic weekend for the 49ers with so much already on the line.