San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is not looking to rest on his laurels heading into his second season after seemingly being poised to win the starting job.
The 49ers have three starting calibre quarterbacks on the roster in Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold - all will be competing for the spot. However, it's clear to see that the Niners will hope that Purdy will be the man, after his incredible rookie season.
After being elevated to being the starter following season-ended injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy went 5-0 in the regular season and led the 49ers to an NFC Championship Game appearance. In that game, which the Niners lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, Purdy suffering an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury, which required surgery.
And while he was expected to be out for a while, head coach Kyle Shanahan has confirmed he will start throwing again next week, but will need some time before being 100% ahead of the new season.
He said: "It’s not really that it’s a moving target, it’s that only God knows and it’s all estimates. So, it depends on what ‘people’ have got for me. But I mean, we’re hoping for Week One and feeling pretty optimistic about that. That’s what we’re hoping for, he’ll be ready to play in Week One.
“And usually that doesn’t mean that’s the day he comes back — usually you’ve got to come before that to make that goal. And that’s kind of the goal we’re hoping for and don’t have any reason to think differently.
And whilst it appears Purdy is strongly in the drivers seat to get back his spot as the starter, he's looking to do all he can to keep that spot, with competition from Lance and Darnold pushing throughout the off-season.
After being ruled out of the NFC Championship game after suffering the injury, Purdy is fully motivated on getting back to that spot with the Niners this upcoming season.
Speaking to reports at Niners OTA's, Purdy said: "For me, I just try to focus on where I’m at right now, and for me, it’s getting my arm healthy. To say all these things and say you want to be this kind of guy or that kind of guy on the team, I think that’s just, in a sense, foolish, just for myself to think like that.
"For me, I come into work every day trying to get my arm right, trying to be around the guys, and do what it takes to win. We want to win a Super Bowl here. Simple as that. And so, for me, I just do my job, and everything else falls into place.
"But I’m just trying to be present. I’m not trying to get caught up in rumors or what people are saying or anything like that." The next few weeks will be huge for Lance, who the Niners spent three first-round draft picks to acquire in the 2021 draft.
With him unlikely to get the chance to start in San Francisco, a strong training camp could see him become a trade target, with teams such as the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
