San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is officially back.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that Purdy is set to start against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday after recovering from a turf toe injury, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Purdy’s health has been a focal point throughout the season for San Francisco.
He suffered a turf toe injury and missed Weeks 2 and 3 before returning to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4. However, he aggravated the injury against Jacksonville and was sidelined for an extended amount of time as a result.
Following the team’s Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and ahead of the Week 11 matchup with the Cardinals, Shanahan told reporters “I do believe he’s further along than he was (in Week 4) so hopefully he’ll have a chance this week.”
Durability was not previously a significant concern when Purdy played 16 games during his Pro Bowl season in 2023 and 15 games last season on his way to 3,864 passing yards, 20 touchdown throws and 12 interceptions.
Many teams would have fallen out of contention with their starting quarterback being out of the lineup for so long, but the 49ers have an experienced backup in Mac Jones who has kept the offense afloat in Purdy’s absence.
The 2021 first-round pick has a 5-3 record in eight starts while completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
With Purdy officially set to return to the lineup, the 49ers offense could soar to new heights over the second half of the season.
