If it wasn't already abundantly clear why Brock Purdy is set to be the starting quarterback in 2023, some extra clarity was provided during the 49ers' third practice of training camp.

Purdy was far from perfect in his second practice of camp, but by the end he was providing an illustration of why there is a clear gap between him and the two players competing for the backup role, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold.

He was helped in doing so by the struggles of that pair as they jockey to be QB2.

Purdy will be expected to maintain and perhaps widen that evident gulf as he grows more confident throwing the ball following elbow surgery, and the performance of two of his top targets in camp should only help foster that self-belief.

Purdy shakes off early struggles

Having been evidently rusty during his first practice of camp on Thursday, Purdy struggled early, with Matt Barrows of The Athletic noting he missed George Kittle on one pass attempt before almost tossing an interception to nickel cornerback Isaiah Oliver on his next throw.

Purdy finished the 11-on-11 session six of 12. Not great numbers by any means, but his 50 percent completion rate was superior to that of Lance (2 of 5) and equal to that of Darnold (3 of 6) over a much larger sample size.

His efforts were highlighted by a pinpoint 25-yard throw to Deebo Samuel into tight coverage.

The start of Purdy's remarkable rise last season was defined by his ability to fit throws into narrow windows over the middle to San Francisco's playmakers. 

His elbow injury does not appear to have impacted his aptitude in that regard, and if he can continue to make such throws over the course of a full campaign when the season starts, that will go a long way to ensuring he is the 49ers' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

Aiyuk "catching everything" 

Purdy's hopes of a successful first full season as starter are boosted by the level of talent the 49ers have at their disposal on offense and Kyle Shanhan's ultra-quarterback friendly scheme. 

Two of those talents have started training camp in impressive fashion, with Lance praising both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel after Friday's practice.

Aiyuk is coming off his first 1,000-yard season and has the skillset to produce his first Pro Bowl campaign, an achievement that will be well within his grasp if he maintains the excellent hands he has shown in camp. Samuel, meanwhile, has been hard at work during the offseason as he looks to orchestrate a bounce-back season after describing his 2022 as "awful".

Said Lance: 

"B.A. is catching everything. He's running great routes, he's getting to his landmarks, he's making plays, and he looks like the B.A. that we all knew he could be these last few years. He kind of turned into that toward the end of the season last year. And Deebo looks great. He really took care of his body. I know you guys have all talked about it and heard about it. He took care of himself this offseason, locked in, and he looks, really, like one of the best I've ever seen."

Last year, Aiyuk turned an excellent camp into the finest season of his still young career. Should history repeat itself, one of the NFL's most underrated wide receiver duos will receive substantially more acclaim.

TDP on track for second-year jump

Last season, Tyrion Davis-Price was an afterthought in the 49ers' running game despite being selected in the third round.

Following the trade for Christian McCaffrey and the emergence of undrafted free agent Jordan Mason, Davis-Price was essentially the fourth-string back and finished his opening season with just 99 yards on the ground.

All indications so far are that Davis-Price has learned the lessons of that rookie year, and that he is ready to make much of an impact for the Niners in year two.

Running game coordinator/offensive line coach Chris Foerster seemingly believes that to be the case, saying of Davis-Price:

“He looks great. I mean, he looks really good. We’ve talked before about guys between their first and their second year make one of the biggest jumps. They know what to expect. They know what camp’s going to be like. They know what their shortfalls were. They went through a whole offseason of being corrected on things they needed to work on. They come back out for camp and they’re ready to go and he looks great right now.”

With the level of depth the 49ers have at running back, opportunities to turn a strong camp into a breakout year may be few for Davis-Price. 

However, the Niners know the prevalence of injuries at the position mean there is a decent chance they will need each of the four running backs that are likely to make the roster at some point in the coming season. 

It's early, but a more explosive Davis-Price has given them a lot more reason to have faith in turning to him as a physical hammer who can give the 49ers another avenue through which they can wear down defenses.

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