The San Francisco 49ers face significant injuries in their wide receiver group, creating a tough situation for Brock Purdy. Without valuable practice reps with his targets, building chemistry and a strong connection before the 2025 NFL season will be a challenge.
On Monday, Purdy spoke with CBS Sports' Keiana Martin, and one of the topics from the interview was the injuries to the wide receiver unit.
"Obviously, as a quarterback, what matters most is offseason, OTAs, camp, getting the routes on air, competing against the defense with the guys that obviously are going to be throwing the ball to in-season," Purdy told Martin. "It can be frustrating when guys are dealing with little injuries and things like that.
"But for me, I just try to go out there every single day, do my job with Kyle [Shanahan] and [Klay] Kubiak and [Mick] Lombardi are asking of me, for getting my answer within every play. But obviously, I would love to have my guys out there, but some guys are dealing with certain things."
On Monday, the 49ers practiced without Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Jauan Jennings (calf), Jacob Cowing (hamstring), and Jordan Watkins (high ankle sprain), four receivers expected to make up a large portion of the team's depth chart this season.
Meanwhile, Demarcus Robinson is still waiting for the league's decision on a possible suspension after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge in early July. Even so, Aiyuk's absence is the most significant, and head coach Kyle Shanahan provided a timetable for his return after practice.
"I kind of view all those guys around the same time," Shanahan said (h/t ESPN). "Whether it's Mustafa, whether it's Rourke or whether it's Brandon. They're all at different stages, but where they're at, I always see 'em around Week 6, which means that could be Week 10, it means it could be Week 5, but that's the area where I start thinking about it, which is a long way away. I know it's not Week 1 or anything like that, so it's something I'm not really thinking about too much."
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