Brock Purdy’s first throwing session since surgery leaves 49ers ‘incredibly encouraged’

The quarterback situation in San Francisco as Week 1 steadily approaches is up in the air with two of the options under center coming off major injuries.

The 2021 first-round NFL Draft pick Trey Lance is coming off a broken ankle that he suffered in Week 2 of the 2022 season, and Brock Purdy underwent surgery in March to repair a torn UCL in his throwing arm.

Purdy was called the “leader in the clubhouse” for the starting job by general manager John Lynch, but when he’ll be able to return is still unknown.

The Niners received good news this week as Purdy participated in his first throwing session since the surgery, leaving Lynch “incredibly encouraged.”

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“He’s just had one session thus far, but we’re incredibly encouraged by that,” Lynch said Wednesday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Brock’s a worker. If you give him a task, he’s going to do everything in his power. These are just timelines and timelines are just that. They’re guidelines. But when I say he’s tracking well, he’s hitting all his markers. And it doesn’t surprise us because he’s putting in the work.”

“As for best-case scenario, we’re just going to kind of take it as it comes. The hope is he’s ready for training camp. The hope is he’s ready for the regular season.”

Lynch added that the team feels good about their quarterback room and won’t put Purdy in a playing situation until he’s fully healthy.
 

“I mentioned Trey, I mentioned Sam [Darnold], we feel good about that position holistically,” Lynch continued. “So, we’re not going to do anything to put Brock in a situation where he’s not fully healed.”

“That means not just getting back, but getting back, getting reps under your belt, the whole deal. So, we’ll take it as it comes as we’re doing. He’s working incredibly hard, and the early returns are really good – hitting all the timelines.”

Last week, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said the hope is the second-year quarterback will be ready to go in Week 1.

“We’re hoping for Week 1, and I feel pretty optimistic about that,” Shanahan said.

“That’s what we’re hoping for, that he’ll be ready to play in Week 1, and usually that doesn’t mean that’s the day he comes back. Usually, you have to come before that to make that goal, and that’s kind of the goal we’re hoping for. And I don’t have any reason to think differently.”

Purdy suffered the injury against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game in January.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.