Brock Purdy continues to make progress in his quest to play Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.
Just over 15 weeks removed from a March 10 surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the 49ers quarterback departed for Jacksonville, Fla., on Monday to throw with QB coach Will Hewlett and orthopedic specialist Tom Gormely for "the next couple weeks," per NFL Media's Tom Pelissero.
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The 49ers are optimistic Purdy will be ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers when San Francisco kicks off the upcoming season Sept. 10. After surgery, he first began throwing a football the last week of May, and coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters during mandatory minicamp earlier this month the 23-year-old was "ahead of schedule" in his three-times-per-week throwing program.
Purdy's trip to Jacksonville is another sign of progression in his recovery from the injury suffered in the 2023 NFC Championship Game. The last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft is the 49ers' presumed starter as long as there are no setbacks in his rehab -- but so far, Purdy has checked off every box.
Hewlett, Purdy's personal throwing coach and QB Collective guru, helped Purdy perfect his game in the days between his final college contest and the draft. Now, Hewlett will look to help Purdy make an NFL comeback in only his second year of professional football.
For San Francisco, Purdy's progress is great news after the then-rookie stepped up admirably and nearly led the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season.
San Francisco 49ers
Purdy completed 114 of 170 (67.1 percent) pass attempts in the regular season with 13 touchdowns, four interceptions and a passer rating of 107.3 after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries. And in the playoffs, Purdy was 41 of 63 (65.1 percent) for 569 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a rating of 109.8 before being knocked out of the NFC title game.
How Purdy's torn UCL and subsequent surgery impacts those numbers moving forward remains to be seen, but so far, all signs point to a positive outcome.