San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is “highly unlikely” to start but could still play in Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday.
Purdy, who is recovering from toe and shoulder injuries, was officially listed as “questionable” on the Niners’ Friday injury report.
“A lot of progress. I thought he had a good week,” Shanahan said about Purdy’s injury status. “Hopefully we can get him up for the game.”
Shanahan continued, “Just see how does tomorrow, just talking to him. I think it’s highly unlikely that he’ll start, but just trying to see where he’s at, to see if he could be a two or an emergency three.”
The head coach said the 49ers will not know for certain until Sunday whether Purdy is able to play.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter on Saturday morning that Purdy’s “chances are pretty good for Week 4. The question is, will he even be in uniform this weekend against the Cardinals? Kyle Shanahan, the head coach, saying it’s likely that Mac Jones is the starter but [Purdy] could be in the lineup, rest out as either the No. 2 or No. 3. So, they’re going to sort of play it by ear. Purdy really considered himself a game-time decision going into the weekend. It’s the toe that’s sort of the issue from a mobility standpoint, plus he has a shoulder, but he checked all of the boxes in practice, so he seems to be trending upward, it’s just this week not likely.”
Purdy suffered his toe and shoulder injuries in a Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Mac Jones, who led the 49ers to a Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints, will be called on for a second straight start should Purdy sit out kickoff against the Cardinals.
There is a chance that Purdy will be participating in a “limited” capacity if he comes in as a backup to Jones, Shanahan said.
“There’s things that he would be limited in. Certain things he could do, maybe certain things that he couldn’t,” Shanahan said. “So we’re trying to decide if he could do that.”
Purdy described himself as “day-to-day” after Thursday’s practice.
He told reporters Thursday he didn’t think his toe injury had not occurred on a single play in Week 1, but that it was the result of an “accumulation of certain plays.”
Shanahan previously told reporters Purdy also suffered a non-throwing shoulder injury in Week 1, but that the toe injury is the more significant issue.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport initially reported after the season-opening win over the Seahawks that Purdy had suffered a variant of a turf toe injury that was expected to sideline him for between two and five weeks.
Niners general manager John Lynch seemingly confirmed a longer-term timeline when he said on KNBR’s Murph & Markus show that Purdy was “week-to-week” with the injury ahead of Week 2.
Given that the five-year, $265 million contract Purdy signed with the 49ers last offseason hasn’t even kicked in yet, the Niners will want to be as careful as possible with managing their quarterback’s long-term health.
Should Purdy sit out the game entirely, Jones will start after tying a career high with three touchdowns against the Saints last weekend. Adrian Martinez could meanwhile receive a second straight promotion from the practice squad to serve as backup.
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