The San Francisco 49ers may want Brock Purdy to start Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, but he’s recovering from an injury. Maybe he’s getting pushed this week, but he’s recovering from an injury. And yes, he could still dress as QB2 — because he’s recovering from an injury.
That’s it. No quarterback controversy, no hidden agenda. Just a starting quarterback recovering from an annoying foot injury.
So why would they decide to dress him down as QB2? Why would they even push him more in practice?
Well, again, don’t go to your first assumption (we as 49ers fans tend to go to) it’s not a quarterback controversy hidden between the lines. Mac Jones has played well, filling in for Purdy, but those of you who haven’t noticed the difference in mobility haven’t watched closely. With that in mind, three things are certain:
1: With all things equal between Jones and Purdy, Purdy is a better quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
2: Things are not equal while Purdy recovers, and Adrian Martinez could still dress as QB2.
3: The 49ers need to win a divisional matchup against the Rams this week, but would like to do it without the risk of losing Purdy for additional weeks (see: Jacksonville Jaguars).
That third point —need to win —is important. The 49ers don’t want to have something reaggravated in the second half of the season that keeps their best quarterback out. Sure, they need Purdy this week, but they also are going to need him next week, and the next week, and all the way to the playoffs, should they get him that far. With that in mind, they don’t want to roll him out unless necessary. Should Mac Jones get knocked out, the 49ers would be able to play the risky, but “we had no choice” in starting Purdy. And they may still think Adrian Martinez playing is a better decision for the long term at 6-3 than rolling Purdy out with fear of all the progress derailed.
So why risk the future? When Jones is injured and your other option is Adrian Martinez, a quarterback who, when fully healthy, is still several steps down from a recovering Brock Purdy.
You’d have to think at this point, Kyle Shanahan is also protecting Brock Purdy from Brock Purdy. Shanahan’s been in this exact same situation years ago when he was the offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders. We all remember that playoff game where Robert Griffin III left with a knee injury, came back in (when he shouldn’t have), and made things even worse. Is that episode on Shanahan’s mind? You’d have to ask him.
If it hasn’t happened already, Purdy could get more vocal and force the issue down the line. That’s also a possibility.
“At some point,” Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young said on KNBR, “Brock—I suspect—would say,’ hey, enough, I’m playing.’ And those conversations, I gotta believe, happened.”
There’s been nothing to suggest Purdy has pushed back against the 49ers’ decision to sit him. The only evidence of a forced issue could be the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Purdy threw two interceptions, completed 57.9% of his passes, had one fumble, and looked nothing like the Purdy that got paid all that money in the offseason. Perhaps Purdy insisted on starting in that game. While Purdy says he felt fine going into the game, the tape said otherwise. Purdy also commented on the soreness he had after the game.
If you consider the situation, perhaps Purdy knows this is the best outcome as well.
“If Brock could go out, I think Brock would force it. I think it must be Brock doesn’t feel like he can.” Young said.
We still don’t know if Purdy will dress. Kyle Shanahan said there was a chance. And if Purdy only has a chance at being QB2, that should tell you all you need to know about why Jones is QB1.
It’s because he’s injured, and the 49ers don’t want to do something they may regret.
