Quarterback Brock Purdy appeared to experience discomfort in his right shoulder as he threw some passes before the start of 49ers practice on Thursday.
In what may be the worst possible news for the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Brock Purdy left practice early on Thursday after reportedly suffering a shoulder injury. The young quarterback, who had led the team to a strong start this season, spoke briefly to reporters as he exited the field, expressing concern over the injury.
“I’m just taking it day by day,” Purdy said, his voice tinged with frustration. “I’ve had a few bumps this year, and now this, but we’re staying positive. I’m working with the training staff to figure things out.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for Purdy and the 49ers, who are already navigating a challenging schedule in a competitive NFC. Purdy has been instrumental in the 49ers’ offensive success, earning praise for his poise and decision-making despite being a rookie last season. His health is now a major concern, with questions looming about the severity of the injury and how it could impact the team moving forward.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the media shortly after, acknowledging the situation but offering little detail on Purdy’s condition. “We’re just focused on getting Brock back to 100%, and we’ll see how he progresses over the next few days.”
For now, 49ers fans will be holding their breath as they wait for further updates.
San Francisco’s head athletic trainer, Dustin Little, was seen rubbing Purdy’s throwing shoulder. Then, Purdy left the field before the start of practice.
Purdy’s status for the 49ers’ critical Week 12 game against the Green Bay Packers appears to be in question due to the condition of his right shoulder.
Backup quarterback Brandon Allen would get the start if Purdy were unable to play.
Purdy took part in limited practice on Wednesday, but did not throw any passes during the warm up periods in which reporters were allowed to observe.
Coach Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism on Wednesday that Purdy would be able to play against the Packers when asked about his level of concern.
“Not much right now,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see how this week goes. But he is limited today, so I think that’s good news.”
Purdy has started all 10 games for the 49ers this season. He is completing 66 percent of his pass attempts for 2,613 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He also has run the ball 51 times for 267 yards, with a team-leading four touchdowns on the ground. In 16 games last season, he rushed for 144 yards on 39 attempts.
Allen, 32, has made just nine starts in his NFL career. His last start was in the final week of the 2021 season, when he completed 15 of 29 pass attempts for 136 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for the Cincinnati Bengals in a 21-16 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Allen beat out Joshua Dobbs for the backup job to open the regular season.
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49ers Urged to Reduce Christian McCaffrey’s Role Going Forward
Heavy on 49ersThe 49ers are urged to play Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo more.
The San Francisco 49ers have not seen a boost from the return of RB Christian McCaffrey, and they are now being told to make a change.
That’s why SI.com writer Grant Cohn believes the team must utilize RBs Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo going forward.
“Adding McCaffrey to Mason and Guerendo only should make the 49ers offense better,” Cohn wrote. “But instead of using all three running backs, the 49ers have used mainly McCaffrey, who’s clearly not 100 percent himself yet… But for the time being, McCaffrey is hurting the running game. The 49ers need to redistribute some of his carries to Mason and Guerendo to balance out the offense.”
There’s merit to the idea, as Mason and Guerendo were both finding success in McCaffrey’s stead. Now, the Niners’ reliance on their top offensive weapon is seemingly limiting the offense.
McCaffrey Still Working His Way Back
Achilles injuries are some of the worst to suffer in sports, as they take tremendous amounts of recovery time. With McCaffrey, even his tendinitis has prompted a prolonged recovery as he missed months of the season.
That’s completely understandable considering the nature of the injury. But the 49ers need to figure out how they can best utilize him in his current state. At 5-5 and 4th in the NFC West, San Francisco doesn’t have the luxury of trial and error.
Going back to Guerendo and Mason more should make McCaffrey more effective too, but it’s going to require 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan to make that change.
49ers HC Speaks on Mason’s Reduced Role
After a blistering start to the season that featured 447 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in the first four games, Jordan Mason looked like a revelation. He was playing like an All-Pro back, which is exactly what San Francisco needed.
However, Mason got banged up and cooled off not long before McCaffrey’s return. In the past two weeks, the 25-year-old RB has been phased out almost completely, receiving just three touches.
Shanahan was asked about Mason’s role in his November 20 press conference and gave a mixed answer about getting the Niners’ No.2 RB the ball.
“Yeah, I like all those guys playing. But it depends on the situation, depends how many times you’re getting the ball, it depends on the drives, it depends if we’re going to put two backs out there. When you do two backs, then you’ve got to take either a big off or another receiver. But I’m not always thinking of how to get Christian off.”
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