The San Francisco 49ers have been without quarterback Brock Purdy for much of this season. He did not suit up yet again on Sunday versus the New York Giants, and after the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan said what had long been suspected.
Addressing media after the game, Shanahan said, "We’re trying to ease Brock out there, but anytime you’re dealing with this turf toe, it’s probably something that probably won’t fully go away all year, regardless of when he comes back. … It’s a little bit of a tricky decision."
Finally, Shanahan has admitted that Purdy's turf-toe issue is going to linger for the rest of the season no matter what. This has seemed like the case with how long it has taken for Purdy to get back on the practice field and with the weekly routine of him doing some activities but not being fully ready to go.
Shanahan is right that this creates a tricky decision for the Niners. Mac Jones has been more than serviceable as a backup and has clearly looked comfortable in Shanahan's offense. He has completed 67.2 percent of his passes this season for 1,832 yards and 10 touchdown passes compared to five interceptions.
After Purdy re-injured his toe in the team's Week 4 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the strategy has seemed to be to let Purdy's toe heal fully before having him start again.
But Shanahan has now admitted that the toe almost certainly will not heal fully this year, so he is going to be at greater risk of hurting himself if he goes out there to play.
The less risky option at this point is probably to stick with Jones. He is not at 100 percent health himself but has at least proven he can grit through his ailments and still play winning football. Purdy was clearly still hampered by the toe issue in Week 4, and it may have cost the Niners the game, so why risk throwing him out there when Jones has played so well?
It is not an easy choice since the Niners have so much money committed to Purdy, and when fully healthy, he would be a superior option to Jones. But if Purdy is going to be dealing with the toe issue for the rest of the year, that would seemingly take away (or at least limit) his ability to scramble, which is the one area he has a huge leg up on Jones.
As for right now, it seems like the 49ers are just going to ride the hot hand with Jones. It is the less risky option given they do not know how Purdy will play given the toe issue and do not want him to keep re-injuring himself.