A day after a disappointing Championship Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers, there was salt poured in the wound on Monday afternoon. After exiting the game in the 1st quarter and “playing” sparingly in the second half, it was announced that Brock Purdy has suffered ligament damage in his elbow and will likely undergo surgery.
Purdy sustained the injury on the second drive of the game, as he was hit on his throwing arm as he motioned forward, causing the ball to spit out and the Eagles to recover the fumble. Purdy never returned from the sidelines in the first half, attempting to grip and throw the football to his teammates and trainers, trying to regain the feeling in his fingers.
Can The 49ers Count On Brock Purdy’s Health To Start 2023?
As San Francisco’s quarterback situation worsened with the head injury to back up Josh Johnson, Purdy was reinserted into the game, though obviously nowhere near 100%. He was made mostly to hand the ball off as the offense became extremely limited. But he did throw a couple of passes in the second half, and even completed one for three yards. Knowing the extent of the injury now, it is impressive that he was even out there in the first place.
If Pudy does indeed opt for surgery as it seems he will, it will likely put him on the shelf for much of the 2023 off-season. Recovery from a torn ulnar collateral ligament operation typically takes about six months, which would give the then-second year quarterback a tight timetable. NFL training camps typically begin during the final week and days of July, which would be six months from when he sustained the injury on January 29th.
49ers Face Long Offseason After Playoff Loss
The situation will only add to the complication that will be the 49ers quarterback room this spring and summer.
The capital that the team gave up for Trey Lance would suggest that the team feels that he is the hopeful starter going forward, but he has yet to prove his worth or live up to the billing of a third overall pick.
But how can the team ignore the success that they enjoyed under Brock Purdy during such a pivotal stretch of the 2022 season? Would they just send him back to the bench in favor of a guy who has done next to nothing in the league so far?
The injury certainly doesn’t make John Lynch’s decision any easier.
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