There has been much discussion about if or when the San Francisco 49ers are going to have their franchise quarterback Brock Purdy back out on the field.
For now, head coach Kyle Shanahan needs to make an unpopular decision and keep Purdy on the sideline.
With Mac Jones playing the way he has with Purdy out, there really should not be any rush to get Purdy back out there even though he is the team’s franchise quarterback and has endeared himself to fans with his Cinderella story as the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft who helped lead the team to an NFC Championship game and a Super Bowl.
Shanahan has admitted that Purdy’s turf-toe injury is likely not going to go away completely this season. If that is the case, they are going to be exposing him to injury every time he takes the field. Turf toe is a tricky injury. It has ruined some players’ careers, and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had a serious case of it early this season which forced him to have surgery.
Purdy’s case was more mild, but it is clear that it has affected him a lot, and he was clearly hampered by it in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he was rushed back too early and aggravated the injury. The 49ers have been wanting to avoid a repeat of that, which is why they have slow-played his return. But at this point, the Niners need to consider whether they should have him on the field at all this season.
Shanahan only said he is "pretty confident" Purdy will appear in a game again this season, and general manager John Lynch all but indicated this would happen in Week 11's showdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
With Jones playing as well as he has, it is very questionable whether the Niners would get better play out of Purdy were he the starter. He is going to be rusty after not having played or practiced as much, and his major advantage over Jones when healthy is his ability to scramble and make plays with his legs. But that ability would almost certainly be hampered by the toe injury.
Plus, with San Francisco’s defense getting simply outclassed by the Los Angeles Rams the previous Sunday, it has become clear San Francisco likely does not have enough juice to make a deep playoff run. It may be able to sneak into the playoffs, and we know anything can happen once you make it to the dance, but the 49ers have had to deal with too many injuries to reasonably think they can compete for a Super Bowl.
The Niners exercised prudence and caution at the trade deadline by not making a short-sighted move for a pass-rusher.
They should practice that same prudence by not rushing Purdy back yet again unless completely necessary, which is why he should remain on the sideline.