The San Francisco 49ers were optimistic that quarterback Brock Purdy would fully recover from offseason surgery in time for the regular season. That hasn't changed as the team kicked off its mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
Purdy underwent surgery on March 10 to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. He started some limited throwing last week, a big step in his rehab.
Reporters got a glimpse of Purdy on Tuesday, running on the side as his teammates practiced. While no throws were observed during the session, the recovering quarterback does throw multiple times a week.
"He's right on pace," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after Tuesday's practice. "I think he throws three times a week. I do not sit and watch those. It's part of his process of getting back, and he's continuing right on the track he's always been on. No setbacks, and it's been very good so far."
The hope is that Purdy can start practicing sometime in late August, toward the end of training camp. Hopefully, that will be enough time for the quarterback to prepare for the regular season. In the meantime, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are taking the bulk of the practice reps, preparing to start Week 1 if Purdy isn't ready.
Things are trending well for the 49ers' second-year quarterback. However, the coach admits that the team is being very patient with the process.
"We're taking it very slowly," Shanahan said. "It's not like you just jump out and push stuff. You're only supposed to throw on this date, at this percentage, this many yards, and then you do a certain [amount a] couple of days later. And if you stay on track, it should heal right away. And right now, everything's right on track."
Shanahan says he isn't concerned with where Purdy might be in the weeks and months ahead. The 49ers are just concerned with where the quarterback stands right now in his recovery process.
"I know [reporters] want updates," Shanahan added. "I totally get it, but there are none. So I can make something up, but there are none. It's just the next day of working out and rehabbing, and I don't get too involved in that. I see him in the meetings, talk to him about football and stuff like that. Things will happen when he's healthy, and we're just waiting for him to get healthy."
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