OCTOBER 28: Shanahan announced on Saturday that Purdy has cleared the protocol, meaning he is off San Francisco’s injury report altogether. He will therefore be able to play in Week 8 as the 49ers look to avoid their losing streak extending to three games.
OCTOBER 27: Purdy has made tangible progress over the past several days, and it remains possible he will be able to play in Week 8. Shanahan confirmed on Friday (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner) that Purdy has cleared four of the five steps required to be eligible to return from concussion protocol. If he passes the fifth stage – clearance for full contact – on Saturday, he will be an option to start for San Francisco, something which would delay Darnold’s 49ers debut.
OCTOBER 25: All four of the 49ers’ quarterbacks suffered injuries that took them out of games last season, but Brock Purdy had paused that run of misfortune this year. Not long after completing his recovery from UCL surgery, Purdy looks likely to miss at least one game due to a concussion.
San Francisco’s starting quarterback entered concussion protocol following the team’s Monday trip to Minneapolis, Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. This points Sam Darnold toward a start against the Bengals in Week 8.
The 49ers signed Darnold to a one-year, $4.5MM deal in free agency, seeking to add a veteran while Purdy rehabbed and Trey Lance returned from a fractured ankle that required two surgeries. Darnold ended up beating out Lance in training camp, and the 2018 No. 3 overall pick has been Purdy’s backup all season.
Purdy began showing concussion-like symptoms on the plane ride back from Minnesota, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows tweets. The 49ers are holding out hope the Mr. Irrelevant investment-turned-starter can clear the protocol in time for Week 8, but since the NFL elongated the process after the Tua Tagovailoa investigation last year, players have more steps to navigate before doing so.
A fourth-quarter quarterback-sneak attempt resulted in Purdy taking a blow to the head from Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks, though the second-year passer stayed in the game. After ramping up in exercise, Purdy must be cleared by both a 49ers physician and an independent neurological consultant before returning to action. The beefed-up protocols have effectively put a stop to players making instant re-emergences after head injuries, and the 49ers will likely be dealt another setback at the game’s premier position. The team saw Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy and Josh Johnson go down last season; Johnson’s concussion in the NFC championship game led to the NFL reimplementing the emergency third QB rule this offseason.
In a short week, the 49ers will face a Bengals team coming off its bye. Darnold, however, is one of the NFL’s most experienced backups. He started 55 games with the Jets and Panthers from 2018-22. The 26-year-old passer finished last season as Carolina’s starter, taking over after the team’s Baker Mayfield experiment fizzled. Darnold has struggled with accuracy for much of his career, not completing more than 60% of his passes in a season since 2019. He was at the controls when the Panthers surprisingly rebounded last season, going 4-2 as a starter.
While the former USC star has yet to establish himself as a dependable option, he has shown flashes and chose the 49ers due largely to Shanahan and the offensive talent in place. That nucleus dwarfs the setups Darnold had in New York and Charlotte, though San Francisco was without All-Pros Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel on Monday. Should Darnold be called upon, he will be the seventh 49ers starting quarterback in Shanahan’s tenure. Brandon Allen, who signed with the team in May, would be in place as his backup.
It looks like a perfect storm is brewing for Tom Savage to attempt a comeback…lol.
Looks like I’m may win the free tacos for a month from my friend!
His passer rating can only drop if he’s on the field playing so you should be wishing Brock a speedy recovery…lol.
So the losing streak continues…
Sam Darnold can now solve the riddle – is Purdy a system quarterback?
The “system quarterback” is another NFL myth.
bout to find out
Can’t believe how fast sum were annoiting Purdy as nxt Montana in very small sample size and now as pendulum swings can’t believe how fast sum R writing em off as wannabee turd. League is goin2 find n exploit every QBs weaknesses. Its QBs n OCs job2 adapt, improve, n make adjustments on the fly in real time. 2excell inspite of ur weakest link. Gota fight back n counter punch. Not gonna win em all but u have2 limit mistakes. He’s had sum recent adversity n if I was DC playing em now I’d put ton of pressure on his quick decision making w/tight coverage n exotic blitzes n stunts. Sneak backside CB blitz. He’s still puppy in nfl n2 reading pro defenses. Mesmerize him.
Then CMC takes over the game
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face
CMC is the fist
So interesting how the media are saying that Vikings Jordan Hicks caused the concussion with a helmet to helmet hit, when if you actually watch the play you will see that this was caused by 49ers OL McKivitz who slammed his shoulder into Purdy in an attempt to block Hicks, and then his momentum directed Hicks’ helmet to contact Purdy’s. The speed of the play plus the 301lb McKivitz coming in from the side would be enough for anyone to get concussed.
They are going to play him. I wonder if he actually takes a hit if they till take him into the tent and more likely to hold him out. I don’t recall them even mentioning him being looked at vs Vikings.