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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is expected to return to the field on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills after recovering from a shoulder injury, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday.
“Lots of things can happen between now and then, but right now he’s playing,” Shanahan said, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
San Francisco’s season has been beset by injury. Brandon Aiyuk is done for the year. Christian McCaffrey didn’t play until November. George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, among others, battled knocks at points throughout the season. The list goes on.
Purdy joined that list on Nov. 24, missing a matchup against the Green Bay Packers due to right shoulder soreness. It was a development that surprised the Niners.
“I don’t want to say there’s long-term concern,” Shanahan told reporters at the time. “We thought he just needed some rest, and we really weren’t concerned about [him] not being good this week. But when he started up Thursday, it just surprised him, surprised us with how it felt. So we had to shut him down. I really don’t know what to think of it.”
The 24-year-old quarterback had been one of the steady presences during the team’s tough 5-6 season, throwing for 2,613 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 66 percent of his passes.
While there are still questions about whether Purdy can be a legitimate star or is simply a solid game-manager in a productive offensive scheme, there’s little doubt that he’s emerged as the team’s quarterback of the future.
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