The San Francisco 49ers have high expectations for quarterback Brock Purdy in his third NFL season. Purdy has benefitted from his first full offseason as a starter, participating in the entire offseason program and the start of training camp—opportunities he didn't have in his first two seasons.
As a rookie in 2022, Purdy had limited reps and was fighting for a roster spot. Last year, he was the 49ers' starter but was recovering from offseason surgery on his throwing arm. Purdy didn't get to throw a pass to his teammates until late July.
During an interview on NFL Network this week, wide receiver Deebo Samuel was asked about Brock Purdy's improvement. He replied, "Kind of a stronger arm. He got Bosa quads a little bit."
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The "Bosa quads" comment refers to defensive teammate Nick Bosa, whose lower-body strength has helped him become one of the best pass rushers in football. Reporters noticed that Purdy looked bigger when he reported to training camp, suggesting that he has been working on his physical conditioning during the offseason.
"In general, I feel like Brock has improved," fullback Kyle Juszczyk stated during a media session when asked the same question. "The confidence seems to be there more. The arm strength seems to be there a little bit more."
A lot was made of Purdy's seven interceptions this week during the first two days of padded practices. The quarterback wasn't too concerned about the miscues, explaining that practice is when you want to try to force things you wouldn't normally do in games.
"In the game and in the season, it comes down to protecting the ball every snap, every play, so you can't necessarily try those things out," Purdy shared. "Right now, we can, and so my mindset right now is protect the ball, but let's be aggressive. Let's try this out. Let's figure it out."
Juszczyk added, "I think, putting the pads on, the pass rush starts to get a little more real. So it may take a day or two to adjust. ... But I expect only good things from him."
Purdy had a better practice on Wednesday and didn't throw an interception. He threw several interceptions last year during training camp and went on to have one of the best statistical seasons by a 49ers quarterback, setting a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. The reactions to training camp mistakes might be overblown.
"Overall, the moment never is too big for him, and he's just confident in himself and confident in us, just as [we are] confident in him," Samuel stated. "He's never panicking. I feel like he always makes the right decision for us, not taking a sack, getting the ball where it needs to be, right on time, and just overall, a wonderful quarterback."