Dating back to his time as the Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan has been considered one of the best offensive minds in football. But when it comes to his current quarterback, Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers head coach is pushing back on criticism that the second-year signal-caller is simply a product of his head coach’s system.
“That’s pretty ridiculous,” Shanahan said, according to Dave Lombardi of The Athletic. “You’ve just got to watch the tape. He plays at a high level when he’s out there.”
Shanahan’s comments come in the midst of a season in which the 4-0 49ers are one of two undefeated teams remaining in the NFL, along with the Philadelphia Eagles. It would be tough to argue that the 23-year-old Purdy hasn’t been a big part of San Francisco’s success, with the Iowa State product have completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 1,019 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Purdy’s rise to being the quarterback of one of the NFL’s best teams has been a rapid one, as he was the final pick — aka “Mr. Irrelevant” — in the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite his status as a seventh-rounder, the two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection took over as the 49ers’ starting quarterback during his rookie season following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Purdy played well enough during his rookie campaign that San Francisco allowed Garoppolo to leave for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency and even traded Lance — the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft — to the Dallas Cowboys. Thus far, it would be tough to argue that the 49ers haven’t been vindicated in their decision-making.
As for what’s next, Purdy and San Francisco are set to face their toughest test of the season on Sunday when they host the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. And if the 49ers’ quarterback can beat one of the league’s top defenses, perhaps he can start thinking about getting his own place.
