Brock Purdy is working hard to check off boxes on his road to recovery. We'll have a better idea of what that recovery timeline looks like when the San Francisco 49ers quarterback begins throwing again in June. For now, most of the time, his right arm remains in a brace following his March 10 surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his elbow.
Purdy has spent the last few months reviewing this past season's film. He started eight games after taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo, now with the Las Vegas Raiders, on December 4. He won seven of those starts before suffering his injury in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
While Purdy impressed, things were far from perfect for the 23-year-old quarterback. He recently discussed some of the pros and cons of that rookie campaign.
"I think, starting with the cons, like just footwork, being on time," Purdy recently said on FOX Sports 910's Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B show. "Every concept has its own timing, and there was times last year where you could just tell I was still getting used to things even when I was playing. The timing of a slant with Brandon Aiyuk compared to Deebo Samuel, there's two different types of routes.
"And so getting used to that kind of thing, that's something I have to hammer away at in the offseason."
Of course, there are also some positives to build upon. The 49ers often looked like a well-oiled machine with Purdy at the helm of the offense. The team scored nearly 33 points per game heading into that NFC title game compared to almost 24 points per game in Jimmy Garoppolo's nine starts before Week 13.
Purdy didn't look like a rookie, showing great poise and leadership as he managed head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
"And then just the pros, just building off of the leadership and the courage that I had of stepping out and going and leading a team," Purdy said. "You have to have confidence in the NFL, and you can see it on the film, and I just have to keep building off that as well."
While several starters are returning in 2023, the 49ers did lose some key players in free agency. In addition to Garoppolo, tackle Mike McGlinchey, defensive backs Emmanuel Moseley and Jimmie Ward, and several defensive ends have found new NFL homes.
One thing that has not departed is the team's championship aspirations.
"But I think the core of the Niners from last year and the years before is still there," Purdy shared, "and we still have that same mindset of wanting to get back to where we were. Obviously, some things didn't go our way at the end, but we're all determined, man. My guys are training already, getting after it, and once we all get back together in the next couple of weeks, it's going to be on from there."
