San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's season finale against the Arizona Cardinals due to a right elbow contusion with nerve inflammation sustained during Monday night's loss to the Detroit Lions. Josh Dobbs will step in as the starter, with Brandon Allen serving as the backup.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan downplayed the severity of the injury earlier this week, reassuring fans that Purdy's UCL remains intact.
"Most likely going to miss this week, but no long-term issues. UCL looks fine," Shanahan said.
General manager John Lynch echoed those sentiments during a Friday morning appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR, adding that there is no concern about the quarterback's long-term health.
"It's really nothing more than like when you hit your funny bone," Lynch said. "He did that, and when you get an NFL helmet in the wrong place, it irritated the nerves a little."
Initially, the severity of Purdy's injury was unclear. Early reports suggested an issue with his hand before later pinpointing the elbow as the problem.
"Then shortly thereafter, 'Hey, he just got dinged on the elbow. It caused some numbness,'" Lynch continued. "And so, everything's all right. Brock's gonna be fine, and just a deal where it's got to quiet down."
The quick decision to shut Purdy down for Week 18 was straightforward, according to Lynch, and primarily driven by the medical team.
"The guys said right away, 'We don't think this would be smart. He obviously did something to his elbow where the nerves are irritated,'" Lynch explained. "You then get the MRI; you see some inflammation. And at that point, it's an easy decision.
"Everybody had input, but really, nobody more than the medial [staff], who made the ultimate decision."
Josh Dobbs gets an opportunity
Looking ahead to Sunday, Lynch expressed excitement about Dobbs helming the 49ers offense.
"Any time we've put him out there, he's looked really good," Lynch said. "Ironically, we really started having an affinity for Josh when he was playing for the Arizona Cardinals as a division opponent, and saying, 'Man, this guy's really hard to prepare for. We'd love to have him part of our team.' I remember Kyle and I talking about that way back when.
"Josh will get his chance. Brandon Allen will be the backup. And we're gonna go down there and try to win a game."
You can listen to Lynch's entire interview below.
