San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy displayed significant improvement during Friday's practice after being a limited participant on Thursday. Officially listed as "questionable" for Sunday's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, all signs point toward the second-year quarterback successfully clearing the concussion protocol this weekend.
On Friday, when asked if Purdy would start against the Bengals upon passing Saturday's final protocol test, head coach Kyle Shanahan confidently stated, "Yeah, definitely. He was full go today, so he's just got to pass that tomorrow."
Purdy began experiencing concussion symptoms while the team traveled back from Minneapolis to the Bay Area after Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. He sat out Wednesday's practice but steadily ramped up his workload over the next two days, feeling much better than he did earlier in the week.
What have players seen in practice this week from the young starting quarterback?
"He's been great, as he normally is," backup quarterback Sam Darnold told reporters after Friday's practice. "So he's preparing really well. And out there in practice, he's been slinging it and looking really good."
Initially, there was concern that Purdy might not clear the protocol in time for Sunday's game, considering the 49ers have a short turnaround following Monday night's matchup. However, with just one hurdle remaining, it appears likely that Purdy will be back on the field alongside his teammates against the Bengals.