According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, it’s going to take a disaster for someone other than Brock Purdy to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback come Week 1.
Shanahan spoke emphatically about his confidence in the second-year quarterback in an interview with Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer this week, all but naming Purdy as the team’s QB1.
"He would have to melt in practice to lose [the starting quarterback job]," Shanahan said. "And Brock’s too good of a player to melt in practice—and so are the other guys."
Shanahan’s quotes seem to make one thing clear: as long as Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is healthy, he will be the starter.
Purdy threw for 1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions in five regular-season starts (all wins) before leading the 49ers to the NFC title game.
Purdy started the 2022 season third on the 49ers’ QB depth chart behind 2021 No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
After the two went down with injuries in September and December, respectively, Purdy took over the starting job, and has not let down his team and the fans since then.
Coming into this season with Purdy recovering from surgery, there were questions about whether Lance or offseason pickup Sam Darnold overtaking him as Shanahan’s preferred play-caller.
According to Shanahan, there was never any question who, barring injuries, would lead San Francisco’s offense this season.
"The games Brock played in, he played at as high a level as you can ask for, as consistent a level as you can ask for," Shanahan said, per SI. "Hell yeah, you can win with that and be very happy with that. That was [seven full] games, there’s a lot that goes into it, and we’ll see how it goes.
Well, with all the faith of the coach, the team and the fans on Purdy, it now remains to be seen if he really lives up to the expectations.
