All 4 of the 49ers quarterbacks suffered accidents that took them out of video games final season, however Brock Purdy paused that run of misfortune this 12 months. Not lengthy after finishing his restoration from UCL surgical procedure, Purdy appears more likely to miss at the least one recreation resulting from a concussion.
San Francisco’s beginning quarterback entered concussion protocol following the crew’s Monday journey to Minneapolis, Kyle Shanahan stated Wednesday. No participant positioned in concussion protocol throughout the week has rebounded to play this season, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting
Kenny Pickett was the final to take action. The Steelers QB did so in Week 7 of final 12 months.
This factors Sam Darnold towards a begin in opposition to the Bengals in Week 8. The 49ers signed Darnold early in free company, in search of so as to add a veteran whereas Purdy rehabbed and Trey Lance returned from a fractured ankle that required two surgical procedures. Darnold ended up beating out Lance in coaching camp, and the 2018 No. 3 total decide has been Purdy’s backup all season.
Purdy started exhibiting concussion-like signs on the airplane journey again 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, however for the reason that NFL elongated the method after the Tua Tagovailoa investigation final 12 months, gamers have extra steps to navigate earlier than doing so. Therefore the above-referenced return ratio skewing completely towards gamers lacking the subsequent recreation.
A fourth-quarter quarterback-sneak try resulted in Purdy taking a blow to the pinnacle on a success from Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks, although the second-year passer stayed within the recreation. After ramping up in train, Purdy should be cleared by each a 49ers doctor and an unbiased neurological guide earlier than returning to motion. The beefed-up protocols have successfully put a cease to gamers making prompt re-emergences after head accidents, and the 49ers will possible be dealt one other setback on the recreation’s premier place.
In a brief week, the 49ers will face a Bengals crew coming off its bye. Darnold, nonetheless, is without doubt one of the NFL’s most skilled backups. He began 55 video games with the Jets and Panthers from 2018-22. The 26-year-old passer completed final season as Carolina’s starter, taking up after the crew’s Baker Mayfield experiment fizzled. Darnold has struggled with accuracy for a lot of his profession, not finishing greater than 60% of his passes since 2019. He was on the controls when the Panthers surprisingly rebounded final season, going 4-2 as a starter.
Whereas the previous USC star has but to ascertain himself as a reliable choice, he has proven flashes and selected the 49ers due largely to Shanahan and the offensive expertise the crew has in place. That nucleus dwarfs the setups Darnold had in New York and Charlotte, although San Francisco was with out All-Execs Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel on Monday. Ought to Darnold be known as upon, he would be the seventh 49ers beginning quarterback in Shanahan’s tenure. Brandon Allen, who signed with the crew in Might, could be in place as his backup.