Quarterback Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers will undergo surgery on his right elbow after getting injured in the playoffs.
Purdy was hurt on the 49ers’ first offensive possession during the NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Purdy had his arm contorted awkwardly by an Eagles’ defender as he was trying to complete a pass to one of his receivers. The rookie quarterback tore his UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) in his elbow on his throwing arm during the play.
Brock Purdy : 4/4 for 23 yards & a lost fumble (Right elbow injury in the 1st quarter after he got his arm hit by Haason Reddick. He returned in the 3rd quarter after Josh Johnson got a concussion but he only threw 1 pass after coming back into the game) pic.twitter.com/K6QwaJPFHx
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) January 29, 2023
Purdy is planning to have his surgery on Feb. 22, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Rapoport states that the surgery will help Purdy make a full recovery and be ready to play in time for training camp.
#49ers QB Brock Purdy will meet with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Feb. 21 and plans to have surgery to repair his torn UCL on the 22nd, sources say. The surgery, set to be done by the respected #Rangers doc, will allow Purdy to make a full recovery & be ready for training camp. pic.twitter.com/9ahMWbqPD1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 8, 2023
It’s really awesome to hear that Purdy won’t miss the entire 2023 – 2024 season. Former NFL player turned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Adickes, was fearful during an interview with Dan Patrick early in February that Purdy would need Tommy John surgery. Tommy John is a surgery that baseball pitchers tend to need after suffering UCL tears. After seeing Purdy get injured, Adickes insisted that Purdy needed Tommy John and was concerned that he’d miss the entirety of next season because of it.
Video: Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Adickes sharing his professional opinion on the Brock Purdy injury on the Dan Patrick show.
As mentioned on the original tweet, the injury diagnosis is according to Adickes. This wasn’t a report from a source. pic.twitter.com/gMlFGJ0LZs
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 1, 2023
It seems like Purdy got really lucky. Had he missed the entire upcoming season, he would have forfeited his starting job to quarterback Trey Lance.
After 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch announced that QB Jimmy Garoppolo wouldn’t be returning to the club, it became evident that Purdy and Lance were San Francisco’s only options heading into the next season. If you ask me, Purdy is better suited to lead San Fran than Lance is. (RELATED: Here Are The Top-Selling NFL Team Hats And Jerseys In Each State For The 2022-2023 Season)
Purdy has proven his ability to keep turnovers to a minimum and throw for a lot of yards during his 10 games as San Francisco’s starter in 2022. He gained a lot of good experience during his rookie campaign and even won a few playoff games for the Niners before he got hurt.
When it comes to Lance, I believe he should be the 49ers backup behind Purdy. Dual-threat quarterbacks never last. Just look at Lamar Jackson. It doesn’t matter how talented your quarterback is with throwing and running the football if you can’t make it through an entire season unscathed. Purdy’s injury in the playoffs seemed to be a freak accident while Lance’s broken ankle occurred from rushing the football, as typical dual-threat quarterbacks tend to do.
I believe San Francisco should ride with the quarterback who had them one game away from playing in Super Bowl LVII. I see a lot of promise with Purdy and tons of uncertainty with Lance. That said, the decision of whom San Francisco should name their starting quarterback for next season is easy.
Purdy all the way.
