John Lynch silences QB controversy: Brock Purdy could be the 49ers' leading man
Despite the San Francisco 49ers possessing two young signal callers on the roster, the 49ers GM silenced any QB controversy with his latest public addresses.
For all the hoopla given to quarterback battles, it appears the San Francisco 49ers may already know who their leading man will be, given good health.
Despite starting the 2022 NFL season with Trey Lance as the primary signal caller, the 49ers plan to turn to the former Mr. Irrelevant turned irreverent quarterback, Brock Purdy, if he is healthy to play.
In comments on Monday morning, San Francisco general manager John Lynch revealed that he believes, based on how Purdy was playing, Purdy will be the go-to starter for the 49ers once training camp starts.
"I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse," said Lynch, via ESPN. "If we were to line up, he'd probably take that first snap."
The "if he's healthy" is a big if.
Purdy recently had offseason surgery to repair his UCL following an injury he sustained in the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He actually returned to the game once the 49ers were completely out of quarterbacks, but it was evident that Purdy couldn't follow through on throws or really get the ball past the line of scrimmage.
It is not a surprise that Lynch heaped praise on the signal caller who took a 49ers season that looked hapless after injuries to both Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo and pushed the team to its expected heights.
And it could be argued that if not for the injury, San Francisco could have been playing for a Super Bowl trophy.
Purdy amassed a 67 percent completion percentage and 1,374 yards. He threw for 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions.
He expressed impressive poise in critical moments, and it appears that his performance last season was enough to earn the nod of approval from Lynch, who has often been coy regarding the quarterback room in San Francisco.
Despite the endorsement, Lynch isn't completely ready to give up on Lance or even Darnold at that. There will be a quarterback competition, but it will be one where Purdy most likely has the insider track. Still, Lynch followed his comments regarding Purdy with praise for Lance.
"We're really excited about where Trey is at with his progress from his injury," Lynch added. "He's been working really hard. Love the opportunity to be able to bring in Sam Darnold and his skill set. We think it's a really good fit. So we like that [quarterback] room a lot."
Lynch added regarding Lance: "he is chomping at the bit to get out there, and get back under center, and be healthy again."
But come to the end of July and August, when training camp is in full swing and the 49ers are looking to delineate who will be taking first-team reps, it seems pretty clear that the brain trust behind the roster loves what Purdy, if healthy, brings to the table.
"Brock is going to work," Lynch said. "He's going to do everything they ask and more."
And that may be just enough for the 49ers to make their decision.
