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Practice Wednesday afternoon in Santa Clara delivered quite the sight for sore 49ers eyes.
First, Brock Purdy returned to the field. Then, just as the team’s franchise quarterback finished throwing a pass, its franchise wide receiver — Brandon Aiyuk — sprinted in front of cameras at possibly his fastest clip since suffering a severe knee injury last October.
Purdy, who suffered a toe injury in the season opener and missed the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints, practiced in a limited capacity. He worked as the third QB in the 49ers’ rotation, slotting in behind Mac Jones and Adrian Martinez during early drills.
During footwork drills, Purdy appeared to be moving more gingerly than normal. But perhaps that was to be expected; the 49ers initially anticipated he would miss two to five weeks. Coach Kyle Shanahan said before practice that there is at least a small chance that Purdy is back for Sunday’s home opener against the Cardinals.
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If Purdy can’t start, Jones — who led the QB line Wednesday — will start again for the 49ers.
“[It depends] mainly on how he’s feeling and how he thinks he can go, what he thinks he can do today, what he thinks he could do tomorrow, Friday and Sunday,” Shanahan said of Purdy. “Really doesn’t have anything to do with how Mac played, whether it was good or bad. Doesn’t really affect that. I just talk about where Brock’s at right now.”
Even if Jones starts, there’s a chance Purdy is in uniform as the No. 3 quarterback Sunday, Shanahan confirmed. An NFL rule implemented last year allows for an emergency third quarterback to be on standby in case both top QBs are knocked out of the game — as long as that third QB is on the 53-man roster. So Purdy might fit the qualifications to land in the bullpen Sunday.
Aiyuk, meanwhile, is not yet eligible to return. He must stay on the physically unable to perform, or PUP, list for at least four games. But his consistent enthusiasm and increasing speed, on display whenever the 49ers practice (even though Aiyuk is not an official participant — he’s not allowed to catch passes from quarterbacks during an organized practice), is an encouraging sign.
Aiyuk would first be eligible to come off PUP or at least see his three-week practice window opened in Week 5. The 49ers would likely pass on that chance even if Aiyuk is ready to go, because the schedule that week features a Thursday-night game against the Rams. The 49ers presumably won’t want to burn Aiyuk’s return window during a week that won’t even feature a full practice.
The earliest logical return for Aiyuk, then, figures to be Week 6 — when the 49ers will have a full slate of preparation before a Sunday game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
At 2-0, the 49ers are in good shape to begin this season. But there’s definite room for improvement in the realm of offensive explosiveness. That’s where Purdy, Aiyuk, and other pending returnees (receiver Demarcus Robinson will be back Week 4, and tight end George Kittle will be on injured reserve through at least Week 5) can turn the offense up a notch.
The 49ers, for example, have averaged just 4.5 explosive plays (runs of 12 or more yards, passes of 16 or more yards) per game over the first two weeks, the lowest number of Shanahan’s tenure. They averaged 9.5 and 7.4 explosive plays per game in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The 2025 sample remains small, but data like the graph below — which illustrates the advantage the 49ers enjoy in generating off-schedule production when Purdy is in at QB instead of Jones — does suggest the type of upward mobility that is on the table.
Shanahan also suggested that the 49ers’ run game, which has averaged just 3.2 yards per carry so far, is close to busting longer gains.
“We haven’t got a big one,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s harder to get big ones versus two-shell [coverage]. I think versus the Saints, we had the longest carry on them versus a two-shell defense in a year and one game — I think it was 13 yards.
“But there are a couple plays that we’ve been one guy off on that I thought we could’ve got a big one on, especially versus some eight-man fronts. But it takes 11 guys to do it. You can’t get a big one when one guy’s off. But I’m not too concerned with the run game — but I’d like to get more production.”
The Cardinals, who are also 2-0, have posted average defensive efficiency numbers to start the season. But they are fighting mounting injury issues in the secondary, which might give the 49ers an opening even if Purdy doesn’t start Sunday.
In general, Shanahan’s offense is looking to establish more consistency. Purdy, Jones, and a resurgent offensive line — which has graded out very well in pass protection so far — have guided them to big money-down success, but early-down struggles have made that job harder than it needs to be.
So, consider the next couple of games a chance for the 49ers to even out the production trends and create a more sustainable product. They believe a lot of that is rooted in early-down rushing efficiency.
“We’re close, we’re definitely close,” running back Christian McCaffrey said Wednesday. “A lot of it is, you can’t get tackled — so that’s on me. Being able to break those long ones comes from all 11 guys being on point and me stepping up and hitting those long ones.”
Extra points
• The 49ers placed starting left guard Ben Bartch on IR with a high ankle sprain. The opens the door for rookie Connor Colby, who delivered a clean sheet in pass protection after replacing Bartch on Sunday, to start for at least the next four games.
“I think pass pro has kind of been his strength we’ve noticed since he’s been here,” Shanahan said of Colby. “He has been a tough guy to get around. We could see it in one-on-ones early in camp.”
The 49ers promoted tight end Brayden Willis from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. He takes Bartch’s spot with Kittle out for at least three more games. With swing tackle Spencer Burford dealing with a knee issue, the 49ers also signed offensive tackle Brandon Parker to the practice squad.
• With the home opener this week, the 49ers held their annual Levi’s Stadium concessions showcase. It’s featured in the practice recap video here:
• Burford, defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (concussion protocol), defensive back Siran Neal (concussion protocol), and receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle, shoulder) all missed Wednesday’s practice due to injuries.
Jennings, however, was shooting hoops on the basket installed in the 49ers’ locker room – a sign that his ankle injury isn’t overly serious.