The quarterback position was not surprisingly the opening topic of discussion during tight end George Kittle's first press conference of 49ers training camp on Wednesday, which he seemed more than ready for given his experience on the issue.
Kittle has had his share of quarterback questions over the years due to the amount of uncertainty the 49ers have seen at the position since he joined the team in 2017. Wednesday's questions were about Brock Purdy and Trey Lance, who will continue to be the most talked about players throughout this year's training camp as they look to rebound from season-ending injuries.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Tuesday that Purdy had been cleared to practice after an offseason of rehab on his surgically repaired elbow. The news came as a pleasant surprise given the original expectation that Purdy may have to miss time during training camp, and while he wasn't under center on Wednesday, Purdy's availability pleased Kittle, who has had to go through his share of injury rehab during his career.
"Just happy for him," Kittle said. "Getting hurt sucks. Spending like an entire offseason just grinding every single day, showing up and doing all the little (things) and just focusing on rehabbing and not being able to improve your game, it's frustrating. He did a great job."
Kittle and Purdy struck up a quick and effective on-field rapport after Purdy took over the starting job in late 2022, which Kittle said he expects will "continue" this season. Tomorrow may mark Purdy's first time on the practice field since injuring his elbow in the 2022 NFC Championship game, so fans may not have to wait long to see if his chemistry with Kittle continues.
"Our training staff did a great job and the fact that he's cleared now and available to us and I think he gets to practice tomorrow, hey, that's awesome for the Niners," Kittle said. "I thought our quarterbacks played well today. So you throw another good quarterback into the mix and hey, now we've got a plethora of quarterbacks. Can't wait."
Among the quarterbacks taking snaps Wednesday was Lance, who missed most of the 2022 season due to an ankle injury but was able to practice with the 49ers throughout offseason workouts and OTAs (Organized Team Activities). A number of observers have noticed some improvements in Lance's game and his mechanics, but Kittle says Lance's most noticeable improvement has been with his confidence.
"What I've seen since last season throughout OTAs, today, he has a confidence to him," Kittle said. "He doesn't look like he's second-guessing himself. He doesn't look like he's thinking about the plays at all. The play's called, he knows what it is and he steps in the huddle with confidence. If you can just do those things, it just gives you an opportunity to go be great because you're not thinking about anything else.
"He had some good balls today, threw them well, loved on a third down the pocket broke down, escapes, gets a first down with his legs -- that's what we want him to do. We want him to use his athleticism to make plays and that's just what he's doing. And like I said, having fun. Confidence. Makes me happy."
Wednesday won't be the last time Kittle is asked to comment on the state of his quarterbacks, but he'll undoubtedly be able to handle any future questions with aplomb. After all, he's an expert on the subject by now.
"Obviously I've had quarterback controversy since, I think, my whole career? So, yeah, I'm great at it," Kittle said. "Talk about them as much as you guys want to. I'll say nice things about everybody. That's just what I do. Just keep them coming. You're going to get the same damn answers."
