30 May 2023 , 16:10
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The San Francisco 49ers can now seemingly rest easy on having any worries about their starting quarterback not being ready for week one.
In what was a nightmare situation last season, the Niners lost three starting quarterbacks to serious injuries, with Jimmy Garoppolo, Trey Lance and Brock Purdy all being ruled out at key times in the 2022 campaign.
The latter's injury had been the most devastating, with their unlikely hero Purdy suffering an elbow injury early in the NFC Championship game, which saw them go on to lose to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Purdy had stepped in after Lance's and Garoppolo's season-ending injuries, and had elevated the offense despite being an unknown - after being picked with the final selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.
And earlier this off-season, the Niners made it clear that they see Purdy as their starte r, should he be ready in time after recovering from surgery.
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The Athletic have reported that Purdy will resume throwing this week for the first time since that surgery this off-season - when he underwent a procedure to repair his torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL), an injury on his throwing elbow. Thankfully, Purdy avoided having to have Tommy John surgery - a procedure which has ended a number of baseball pitchers' careers.
It now appears that Purdy will be be throwing as short as three months before the season gets underway, putting him right on track to start day one. Should Purdy have not been ready, there had been no guarantee that Lance would have been the starter, bringing in Sam Darnold to compete with.
Lance has not proven to be the prospect who they'd hoped he'd become, after the Niners gave up three first-round picks to select him in the 2021 draft.
Purdy will throw for the first time post-surgery this weekAnd although he's expected to be in trade talks this off-season, the 23-year-old has declared that he isn't even considering being moved - and wants to compete for the starting spot with Purdy and Darnold.
He told the : "I knew where I wanted to be. I just want an opportunity to compete.
"I love it here. I love the coaching staff. I love working with Griese and Klay and now Klint as well. Love the quarterback room, love the guys in the locker room,” Lance continued. “No doubt for me, this is absolutely where I want to be."
The addition of Darnold, along with Purdy having the first team snaps, will make it tough for Lance to prove himself this off-season having limited plays to do so.
The pre-season will be a hugely important one for him, potentially putting himself in the shop window, or he will hope, to show the Niners that he deserves the chance to be the starter should Purdy struggle.