A few weeks before training camp, Brock Purdy felt more comfortable with his deep ball. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was still only four months removed from offseason surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm. With external doubts surrounding his availability for the start of the regular season, Purdy surprised everyone by being cleared to practice at the start of training camp.
Still, his arm wasn't quite where he wanted it to be just yet. That was expected. With time, he got more comfortable, and the strength returned to where he wanted it to be. That didn't just mean getting the football 50 yards downfield. It meant doing that consistently.
"I was still trying to get to that point [during training camp], build up that arm strength and everything, and sort of work out the fatigue kind of thing," Purdy told reporters Tuesday as the 49ers prepare for Thursday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks. "So, yeah, it's been a work in progress, starting back to camp, but once the season hit, I was able to do it."
Purdy showed off his arm strength on Sunday with a 76-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the longest throw of his career. That play and his perfect passer rating in the game silenced many of his critics.
PURDY TO AIYUK. 76-YARD TOUCHDOWN.
📺: #TBvsSF on FOX
— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jckqnJwdb2 pic.twitter.com/PQMIcpKyIW
When asked if he feels stronger, Purdy responded, "I do feel like just my pre and post routine of throwing has allowed my arm to get stronger, just in general. Obviously, after the surgery, [the goal was to] recover, but just my habits and stuff of what I've done in the NFL compared to college, it's a night and day difference, and I feel like it has helped my arm get stronger."
Purdy believes the bye week also helped his arm. The quarterback had been throwing nearly nonstop since training camp, and the break gave his arm some much-needed rest.
Purdy added, "So, all of those components added in, I feel like my arm has gotten stronger."
