NFL insider on Brock Purdy: 'I think he is the starter going in if he is healthy'
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is progressing well and many think he will be good to go come Week 1.
For as much has been written about Trey Lance and Sam Darnold, there is still the understanding of near certainty with the San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation.
Despite suffering through a UCL injury that required surgery, Brock Purdy is on track to be the Niners' Week 1 starter if he's healthy, NFL insider Ian Rapoport said on Friday.
"It does sound like he's doing well," Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show. "[He's been throwing] a couple of times a week, and based on what he did last year, him coming in, if he's healthy … if he is fully cleared, good to go, no restrictions by, I think, now it'd probably be late August, that would be really good.
"Does he play in a preseason game or not? I don't know. I don't know if anybody cares about that anymore, honestly. I think he is the starter going in if he is healthy, which is a very good thing."
The signing of Darnold and the return of Lance makes the Niners' quarterback situation interesting, but really it is nothing more.
Early in the offseason, San Francisco general manager John Lynch explained Purdy is on the insider track to be the team's starter if his health holds up.
And throughout the workout portion of the offseason, that has appeared to be the case. Purdy is reportedly making good progress, and though he most likely won't be seen in the preseason, the odds are in his favor to play in the first game that matters.
"He's right on pace," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "I think he throws three times a week. I do not sit and watch those. It's part of his process of getting back, and he's continuing right on the track he's always been on. No setbacks, and it's been very good so far."
And to those that watch the Niners, a healthy Purdy is music to the ears. This team has felt a quarterback away for all of the last four years. If Purdy is healthy, maybe he can finally be the team's elusive long-term signal-calling answer.
Feature image via Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports.
