2 hours ago 1

Brock Purdy calls toe injury 'a day-to-day thing this week,' 49ers QB would love to play against Cardinals

In Week 2, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was "a long shot" to play against the New Orleans Saints after suffering toe and left shoulder injuries in a season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks.

In Week 3, Purdy has now practiced back-to-back days. He followed backup quarterback Mac Jones at the podium Thursday and told reporters that his toe injury has "been a day-to-day thing this week."

His status for Sunday's game against the 2-0 Arizona Cardinals is still up in the air, although Purdy appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a turf toe variant that was originally reported as a potential 2-5 week setback.

"Definitely just got to see come game time how I feel," Purdy said. "Obviously I want to play every game. I want to be out there. We only get 17 regular-season games, and every game matters, especially a divisional [game], going against the Cardinals.

"So if you asked me, I'd love to [play], but I mean, I'm trying to be smart with my body here, but you never know. We'll see when the game comes."

Purdy said his left shoulder is "good," when he was asked Thursday if it's still an issue as well. The toe injury was the more serious of the two he sustained in Seattle.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said last week that Purdy's toe injury occurred in the second quarter of the Week 1 matchup, when the fourth-year quarterback scrambled and was tackled by Seahawks safety Julian Love near the sideline.

But when asked about that play Thursday, Purdy didn't confirm that it was the site of his injury.

"I think it was just an accumulation of certain plays and different moments in the game and stuff," he said of his toe issue. "So I think I finished the game, and it was more so the adrenaline cooled down, and I was like, 'Alright, something's wrong with my toe here.'

"And obviously you go in, you get an MRI and you get a diagnosis and all that. So I didn't really know until after, but obviously you go throughout a game and you get hit and go through certain things, but my mindset's always been like, I can play, and you got to really take me off the field for something serious, but if I can walk and jog and throw a football, then I'm good to go."

Purdy clarified that he let his team know something was up when his toe began to bother him during the game, but the worst of the pain didn't set in until postgame, after he bounced back from a pair of interceptions and delivered a game-winning touchdown pass to tight end Jake Tonges with about 90 seconds left for a pivotal divisional win.

It was a resilient statement from the 2022 NFL Draft's "Mr. Irrelevant," who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2023 season and signed a five-year, $265 million extension in May after San Francisco's injury-riddled 6-11 finish last season.

This is the first time in Purdy's career that he's dealt with a toe injury. He said he's gained a new appreciation for how healthy toes factor into quarterback play.

"I went back and watched film and just saw how explosive you really need to be at quarterback," Purdy explained. "You don't really think about it, but getting back from the line of scrimmage in your drop, your handoffs, carrying out a fake, bootlegs and scrambling, obviously you need your toes to be able to go in and out of those cuts, and it's something that you can't really mask.

"You got to be all in and healthy to be able to play the position of quarterback."

Jones, whom the 49ers signed to a two-year deal this past offseason, filled in for Purdy last week, and the one-time Pro Bowler turned in an inspired performance, tossing three touchdowns in a 26-21 win over the Saints.

Jones' time in the spotlight could be short-lived if Purdy keeps progressing at this rate.

Read Entire Article