As the NFL season draws near, many have wondered about the San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation this year. The Niners were snakebit last season. Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo both went down with injuries, forcing third-stringer Brock Purdy to go from Mr. Irrelevant to starting quarterback quicker than anyone we’ve ever seen. The former Iowa State quarterback led San Francisco to eight straight wins, including the postseason, before leaving the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles with an elbow injury.
Brock Purdy is not expected to play in preseason opener. https://t.co/WboE5hQh9U
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 7, 2023
Despite some excellent performances so far in training camp, it doesn’t seem as though Purdy will see the field in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, with Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan saying Monday “I doubt Brock plays.” during his media availability.
This leaves Lance, along with Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen available to share the snaps in the opener as Shanahan continues to take a look at the direction he wants to take at quarterback heading into the year.
Despite being forced into the starting role at the end of last season, Purdy looked the part, throwing 13 touchdowns to just three interceptions in the six games he started, and completing 68% of his passes. Purdy saved his best outing for San Francisco’s 41-23 Wild Card Round win over Seattle, where he threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first rookie quarterback since Sammy Baugh in 1937 to throw for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns in a playoff victory.
