The San Francisco 49ers will be a team to watch once again during this upcoming NFL season, with Kyle Shanahan’s squad expected to be one of the best teams in the NFC.
Although the 49ers are a stacked team on both sides of the football with big-name players leading the way like Nick Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, and Deebo Samuel, the quarterback position is a concern once again, with no firm date for Brock Purdy’s return to the field.
During a brilliant rookie campaign in San Francisco, Purdy went down with an injury in the NFC Championship Game, which he is still recovering from.
Fortunately for the 49ers, the team was able to sign veteran Sam Darnold and have Trey Lance back healthy, but some have questioned who will be the long-term starter.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington via NFL on ESPN, there’s no question that when healthy, Purdy is the starter for the 49ers.
"I just think that [Kyle Shanahan] looked at what Brock Purdy did at the end of last season and he felt like Brock Purdy earned that starting job even before the season had ended."
—@JeffDarlington on the Niners QB battle pic.twitter.com/FXTYsHEm1v
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 24, 2023
After Purdy took over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo last season, the rookie quarterback won every game he played until the NFC Championship Game, which he could not finish due to a torn elbow ligament.
That’s an impressive feat for any quarterback, let alone a rookie thrust into a difficult position to win and win right away.
Obviously, Shanahan believes Purdy has proven his worth, and few would argue with his decision to make the second-year quarterback the starter moving forward.
The interesting part of this will be whether Lance can make some noise in training camp and put some pressure on Purdy.
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