Going into training camp, there was some doubt about who would start at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
The favorite was Brock Purdy, their incumbent starter, but he was recovering from offseason surgery on a torn UCL in his throwing elbow.
It seemed to open up a window for Trey Lance or perhaps even Sam Darnold, whom the 49ers signed as a free agent, to snatch the starting job.
But Purdy has now been fully cleared to play without any restrictions, and commentator Joy Taylor says the team has no choice but to put all its faith in him, via “Speak” on FS1.
.@JoyTaylorTalks: The 49ers have no choice but to put their faith into Brock Purdy. pic.twitter.com/BfjtKXVV0p
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) August 16, 2023
Purdy was the last player taken in last year’s draft, and he was an afterthought when the 2022 campaign started.
But Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2, and Jimmy Garoppolo, his replacement, went down in Week 13, forcing Purdy to take the reins.
He did very well and guided the Niners to a 10-game winning streak to end the regular season, then got them to the NFC Championship Game before he injured his elbow.
They gave up lots of draft capital in order to take Lance in the 2021 draft, but it is starting to look like perhaps he just isn’t polished enough to be an NFL starting QB.
The good news is that under head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco has a system that makes it easier for quarterbacks to succeed.
They also have the league’s best defense, something which takes lots of pressure off a signal-caller, and that defense could get even better this year with the addition of stud defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
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49ers QB Has Reportedly Thrown Alarming Number Of INTs In Camp
