We saw Brock Purdy without his weapons in 2023 (it was not pretty)

The San Francisco 49ers are currently struggling to get their best players on the field.

All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey is injured, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's status with the team is in flux, and future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams is holding out for a new contract.

None of this bodes well for the team.

The one bright spot is quarterback Brock Purdy is healthy. We saw him play in Week 2 of the preseason against the New Orleans Saints and will probably see him in Week 3 of the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders.

However, he did not look great in his showing against the Saints. We should not overreact to this because it is just the preseason and he was likely shaking off some rust. Yet, we should overreact to the fact that there is a very real chance he will play some or all of this year without many of the weapons he had last season.

If Aiyuk and Williams' contract talks bleed into the regular season, and if McCaffrey is not at 100 percent to begin the year, we could see the same Purdy we saw during that three-game losing streak last season after the Niners' 5-0 start. In those three games, he had three touchdown passes compared to five interceptions. He was also playing without Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel in those games due to injury, and McCaffrey was playing through a calf issue.

The 49ers' offense is not designed for the quarterback to play hero ball. The offense is designed to take pressure off the quarterback and allow the ball to be distributed to the weapons they have all over the field. That becomes more complicated when you lose some of your best players, which means less stars for the defense to account for.

Purdy is a very good quarterback, but he is not quite at the level where he can just go out and win a game entirely on his own. Perhaps that is something he can grow into as he develops more, but for now, he needs those star players around him to whom he can facilitate the ball.

Last year during those three games, we saw Purdy try to force the issue more and make big plays when they were not there. If the Niners are missing their weapons either for injury for contract issues this season, then Purdy may make some of those same mistakes again.

Read more from Niner Noise