Brock Purdy is happy to admit he still has some rust to knock off as he looks to get back to the standard he set during his incredible emergence last season.

But the man widely expected to be the 49ers' starting quarterback in 2023 is satisfied with both his physical and mental development following offseason surgery to repair a torn elbow ligament.

Purdy was rusty in his initial return to practice last Thursday before some signs of progress in Saturday's practice. A first padded practice on Monday saw Purdy endure an up-and-down day, the lowlight being an attempted pass to George Kittle that was intercepted by Dre Greenlaw.

Despite some struggles, Purdy told KNBR (h/t 49ers Webzone) he is feeling no ill-effects in his surgically repaired arm from his return to the field.

He said:

"Arm still feels great. Three weeks ago, we started building up to this, doing two days of throwing, a day off, two days of throwing. So I've been actually doing this plan for a couple of weeks now, and so it feels normal, it feels fresh when I go out to practice, and ready to go."

Perhaps just as important is the comfort Purdy feels in Kyle Shanahan's offense. He looked very much at home in the attack last year as he reeled off seven straight wins across the regular season and postseason, and Purdy believes he has progressed further in that regard.

"Just from last year until now, it's like just a huge jump in terms of knowing the playbook and where my answers are, where I got to go with the ball and stuff like that. So I'm still learning and growing. I got to get back, knock off all that rust, too, being back now. But mentally, feel like I'm in a great spot compared to last year."

Some of Purdy's struggles across his opening three practices would appear to run contrary to his assessment of the strides he has made mentally.

But the time on the practice field will only boost Purdy's confidence in his arm and in his ability to run the offense. 

Purdy could hardly have looked more at ease in the attack once injuries catapulted him to the role of starter. His ability to reprise that assuredness in 2023 will have a huge bearing on his success in maintaining his position as QB1.

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