49ers’ Brock Purdy cleared to practice six months after elbow surgery

The competition is officially on in San Francisco.

Brock Purdy will practice when the 49ers’ training camp begins this week.

Purdy tore the UCL in his throwing elbow in the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving the Niners with fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson.

He also got hurt, forcing running back Christian McCaffrey to take snaps behind center.

The Niners said last month the “obsessed” Purdy was ahead of schedule and itching to get back on the field.

On Tuesday, general manager John Lynch said the rising sophomore “has worked his tail off, and he’s ready to go.”

Purdy entered last season as the team’s third-string quarterback. Trey Lance was the starter but suffered a season-ending injury the second game of the season. Jimmy Garoppolo became the starter, but his season ended with an injury in Week 12.

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That put Purdy under center, and he looked far from the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Niners’ four-game winning streak extended to 12 straight under Purdy, all the way up to the NFC title game.

Purdy was exceptional from Week 12 on, completing 151 of 233 passes (64.8%) for 1,877 yards, while throwing 16 touchdowns against just four interceptions. 

Purdy is probably the front-runner for the job given his success last season, but 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance, who started Week 1 last year, will be looking to win the job back after a Week 2 ankle injury that ended his season.

Garoppolo signed a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason.