San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has only played two games this season due to turf toe and appears poised to sit out for another week when his team hits the road to face the New York Giants. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Purdy will not start in Week 9 but that he could be available if the 49ers need him to jump into action. Mac Jones will line up to take the starting reps once again.
Shanahan on Monday expressed some optimism that Purdy could be back in the lineup on Sunday but said that the team would wait for more information throughout the week. Purdy was a limited participant in practice all week.
Purdy initially injured the toe in Week 1 but was able to return for Week 4 — only to re-aggravate the injury. So what does Purdy need to show in order to return to the field? Shanahan said it’s confidence.
“If he gets out there, and he’s hobbling around and stuff, he won’t be out there [on Sunday]. So he’s got to go out there and go through the practices and stuff and really let us know how good he feels because it’s hard to know what’s going on with the toe,” Shanahan told reporters. “They’re really iffy things. Last time, we felt like he was feeling pretty good, looked pretty good in practice and then in the game, one hit and it set him back five or six weeks, whatever this has been … four weeks.”
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Tyler Sullivan
The team wants Purdy, who signed a five-year, $265 million extension in May, to avoid another setback, but Shanahan noted it’s not easy to detect whether one is coming.
“It’s kind of a sensitive situation and hopefully getting some reps in practice and stuff will give him that confidence that it’s better than it was last time,” Shanahan said.
When asked if Purdy will let them know by the end of the week if he feels good enough to play, Shanahan quipped, “I mean, I didn’t give him a deadline.”
“It’s not as black and white as you guys want it to be” the coach added.
Jones is dealing with a knee contusion but was a full participant in this week’s practices. He will get yet another start as the 49ers (5-3) look to bounce back from last week’s 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans.