49ers quarterback Brock Purdy may return soon after tearing the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his right elbow during the NFC championship against the Eagles.
Per The Athletic's David Lombardi, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said "that barring any setbacks, it expects Purdy to be back by training camp. He's been making throwing motions with a towel — not yet with a ball."
Kyle Shanahan says that barring setbacks, the 49ers expect Brock Purdy back by training camp. Purdy has already been making throwing motions with a towel — not yet with a ball (that’s expected in June)
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) May 11, 2023
Purdy underwent surgery on his elbow on March 10 and expects to start throwing in June.
"The protocol is you start throwing at three months," the 23-year-old QB recently said, per The Mercury News. "There are definitely some boxes I have to check before I get to that point, but that's the plan as of right now."
Since Purdy's on the right track, it's excellent news for the 49ers. As a rookie, he went 5-0 as a starter. During his five starts, he threw 11 TDs and posted a 120.5 passer rating, well above the league average.
His play was pivotal to San Francisco's deep playoff run, culminating in its second consecutive conference championship appearance. Ultimately, he earned the role of the franchise's future QB.
The 49ers placed their bets on Purdy after they let former starter Jimmy Garoppolo walk in free agency.
Consequently, they lack a viable backup. Sam Darnold has a 21-34 record as a starter. The organization reportedly received trade offers for former first-rounder Trey Lance, implying they have lost confidence in him.
So the 49ers need Purdy to be ready for the regular season. He's critical to the franchise's future and could lead it to its first Super Bowl title in 29 years.
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The Green Bay Packers continued work on the field on Saturday, with tens of thousands of fans in attendance watching amid the annual Family Night. However, one notable player who was not able to make it to the field and practice was tight end Tucker Kraft. The former South Dakota State Jackrabbits star is nursing a lower-body injury, forcing the Packers to take it easy on the tight end and keep him on the shelf rather than risk aggravation of the issue. Speaking to the media, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opened up about Kraft’s status, via Green Bay reporter Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “MLF said Tucker Kraft has been dealing with a groin injury and powering through it for the last two days but they decided to give him a couple days off.” Kraft is expected to be among the major targets in the Packers’ passing attack in his third year in the pros. Selected in the third round (78th overall) by the Packers in the 2023 NFL draft, the 24-year-old Kraft is looking to surpass his production in 2024, when he posted 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 50 receptions.
In a summer already marked by high drama in the soccer world, Tottenham Hotspur captain Heung-min Son has delivered a stunning announcement: he will leave the club this summer after more than a decade of service. The 33-year-old forward confirmed his decision during an emotional press conference ahead of Tottenham’s preseason friendly against Newcastle United in Seoul. This match may now serve as his farewell appearance for the club. Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed that Son will start and captain the side in Sunday’s game. "I have decided to leave the club this summer. Respectfully the club is helping me with this decision," said Son. "It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. "I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change — 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man. "I want to say thank you to all the Spurs fans for giving me so much love. I hope the goodbye is also good timing and this is the right time to make that decision. I hope everyone can accept that and respect that." Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 and has since made 454 appearances, scoring 173 goals, sitting fourth on the club’s all-time scoring list. His final competitive outing is likely to remain the Europa League final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao, offering a storybook ending to a glittering career in north London. The South Korean revealed he made the decision some time ago, informing only a few teammates before speaking with Frank ahead of preseason. Son is reportedly exploring a move to Major League Soccer (MLS), with Los Angeles FC emerging as a leading contender. Interest from Saudi Arabian clubs also persists. He now becomes the latest high-profile departure at Spurs following Harry Kane’s 2023 transfer to Bayern Munich, as the club enters a new era under Frank, who joined from Brentford earlier this summer.
The Indiana Fever have found a way to keep winning with star Caitlin Clark on the sidelines with a groin injury, improving their record to 17-12 with a win Sunday over the Seattle Storm. While it remains unclear exactly when Clark could take the floor again, her expected return timeline could match up well with a critical stretch in the Fever's schedule. ESPN's Holly Rowe reported in late July that while Clark remained day-to-day, it would be realistic for her to return sometime around the third week in August. That could put the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year back on the court for what could be the team's most important stretch of the season -- a back-to-back set with the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on August 22 and 24. The Fever are looking to climb up in the crowded playoff standings, and getting at least a split from the home-and-home series with the Lynx could be critical. Fever coach Stephanie White stressed after Sunday's win that the team was not going to rush Clark back onto the court. "I know she wants to be out here on the floor, we want her out here on the floor, but making sure that she's ready is the most important thing," White said. "I still don't know how far we are, we're gonna take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and go from there."
Armed with the gigantic task of holding the fort while Aaron Judge recovers from an elbow injury, the New York Yankees made a mess of themselves in a big way this past weekend in a three-game series against the Miami Marlins. On Sunday, the Yankees were thoroughly outplayed by the Marlins on all sides of the ball, suffering a 7-3 defeat and a series sweep at the hands of the Marlins. Now, it’s not like the Marlins have a bad baseball team. They are hovering around .500 on the season, so it’s not like the Yankees were that heavily favored heading into the series especially amid Judge’s injury. However, this is a continuation of the Yankees’ poor play as of late, and they have now fallen to third place in the AL East standings. For first baseman Ben Rice, the team has to wake up from this rut they’re in lest bigger consequences happen later in the season. “I wouldn’t say there’s concern, but I would say, I think a little sense of urgency would be good for us going forward. Just to continue do what we can to win ballgames. And that’s gonna be do all the little things. It’s gonna be, hopefully, we sync up pitching and hitting. That’s it,” Rice told reporters after the Yankees’ loss, via YES Network. “No, I wouldn’t say that [we lack a sense of urgency]. But I would say, as we continue to move deeper into the season here, in this playoff race, we’re gonna have to pick it up eventually.” Poor pitching was what undid the Yankees most often during the month of July, and in August thus far, they haven’t put it together on either side of the ball at the same time. Yankees are running hot and cold on both ends of the ball As Rice said, the Yankees are going to have to sync their hitting and pitching to avoid suffering the same fate they did in that three-game series against the Marlins. That Saturday loss to the Marlins might be the Yankees’ most frustrating of the year, mustering just two hits and no runs — an uncharacteristic showing for the team that’s tied for the lead in total runs scored in all of MLB. They have no choice but to soldier on, heading into a three-game set against the Texas Rangers next before yet another crucial series, this time against a division leader in the Houston Astros.
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