Judy Battista put together a feature for NFL.com looking at the five biggest NFL questions before training camp. Among the list is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's recovery from his surgery on March 10 to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained in the NFC Championship Game.
All signs indicate Purdy returning as the 49ers' starting quarterback after an impressive rookie campaign. He replaced injured quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo in the second half of last season, helping guide the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Purdy's recovery from offseason elbow surgery has been promising -- he started throwing a football as June began and San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team was 'incredibly encouraged' by the progress," wrote Battista. "The 49ers have said they are hopeful Purdy will be available for training camp. It's not clear, though, when in training camp and how little work the 49ers would be comfortable with Purdy having before the regular season starts."
Purdy's return might not be until late August, still in time to be the Week 1 starter, assuming the quarterback doesn't encounter any setbacks. That leaves two others taking on most of the offseason workload until Purdy's return.
"Trey Lance and Sam Darnold, who was signed to a one-year contract this offseason, took the first-team reps during the offseason work," Battista continued, "but Purdy is the presumptive starter whenever he is ready. Purdy's timeline means the 49ers' training camp will have plenty of intrigue at the most important position."
Purdy started some limited throwing during the final week of organized team activities and will ramp up his workload until being medically cleared to practice.
San Francisco concluded its mandatory minicamp last week, breaking for the summer until training camp kicks off in late July.