49ers news: Brock Purdy to have elbow surgery this week

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy experienced some delays in getting elbow surgery, but the latest report has the procedure taking place this week.

It’s been more than a month since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a UCL tear in the NFC Championship game loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.

While it’s fair to wonder why the delay, especially considering Purdy will likely have to wait six months after the procedure to start throwing a ball again, a primary reason why he couldn’t have surgery right away was due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.

Without getting too deep into the medical aspect of things, the swelling has to adequately subside before surgery can be performed correctly.

That delay could potentially impact Purdy’s ability to get back onto the field in time for training camp, perhaps the regular season in 2023.

But, according to the latest from general manager John Lynch, who spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver, that procedure is finally able to kick off this week.

John Lynch: Brock Purdy will have elbow surgery on Wednesday

Lynch told Silver that Purdy’s procedure will be taking place this Wednesday and shall be performed by Dr. Keith Meister, who handles similar surgeries for MLB’s Texas Rangers.

“I talked to the doctor (Thursday), and everything is on track for him to have surgery (this coming Wednesday),” Lynch said. “But you’ve kind of got to get in there and see what’s up.”

Not long after Silver’s report, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows shared that the surgery could be on Friday instead:

“This week” still applies, though.

Earlier reports suggested Dr. Meister might have to improvise the procedure a bit, which could lead to a faster recovery time.

However, the initial recovery is still expected to be six months, which means Purdy wouldn’t be able to throw again until the beginning of September.

Right at the start of the regular season.

That would mean, at least theoretically, that fellow quarterback Trey Lance would have the inside track to secure the 49ers’ starting quarterback job despite coming off his own serious injury, a broken ankle suffered back in Week 2.

Lance is expected to return soon, though, and he’ll have the benefit of practicing through offseason workouts.