San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is benefiting from his first full offseason as a starter. He didn't have that opportunity as a rookie in 2022. Drafted as the last overall pick, he was fighting to earn a roster spot. Last season, Purdy was recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. He didn't throw a pass to a teammate until training camp.
This offseason is different. Purdy has been working with his teammates since the start of the offseason program in April, taking most practice reps for the first time in his career.
Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area caught up with George Kittle last week at Tight End University and asked what he's seen from Purdy during the quarterback's most extensive offseason workload yet.
"He looks like the guy, which is really nice," Kittle responded. "He's in the building every day. He's the same guy every single day. He's consistent. He's incredibly competitive. It's fun seeing him yell at guys when they don't hit the route depth, if they have the wrong landmark. He's taking control of the offense and making it his."
Purdy appreciates the opportunity to finally work extensively with his teammates during an offseason. After a gut-wrenching defeat in Super Bowl LVIII, the quarterback was eager to return to work.
"We're right there and weren't able to finish it," Purdy said during the 49ers' "State of the Franchise" event. "So for me, I had that taste in my mouth, and then get back into the gym, start slowly, working into it. And then here, in OTAs, getting with Kyle and going over all the games that we played in, every play, and going over situational football and stuff, and taking that and actually going out on the field and running things and repping things, and throwing to the receivers. Last year, I didn't have that, so now that I'm able to attack those kinds of things, I feel like I've gotten better."
While Kyle Shanahan calls the shots and Purdy is expected to execute his head coach's plays, Kittle has noticed significant growth in the young quarterback's leadership within the huddle.
"It's Kyle, and Kyle's calling the players, but Brock's getting guys to do what he wants them to do, which is really fun to see," Kittle stated.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Kittle below. It begins at about the 26-minute mark.