49ers' John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan were OK with Brock Purdy being Trey Lance's backup

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch doesn't sound too surprised rookie quarterback Brock Purdy found success in the first two significant appearances of his young NFL career. 

Per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, Lynch told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area why he and head coach Kyle Shanahan would've been comfortable with Purdy serving as the primary backup for Week 1 starter Trey Lance in September. 

"I think that he's a very quick processor," Lynch said of Purdy. "He can handle a ton of information. [He has] the work ethic to make sure that he's buttoned up, and he's going to have the answers. He knew where to go with the ball. But then, you start to watch him, he's got some guile that comes with [more experience], manipulating linebackers to open up windows, and he started doing that right away." 

Lynch made Purdy the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft as the executive was looking to trade veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo to any would-be buyer. Garoppolo eventually accepted a pay cut to stay on as the club's QB2 but was then called into action when Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. Jimmy G helped San Francisco earn a 7-4 record before he went down with a broken foot in Week 13 that will likely end his season. 

Purdy guided the 49ers to a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins in relief of Garoppolo and then helped San Francisco smash the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7 in his first regular-season start this past Sunday. He and the 9-4 49ers play at the 7-6 Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. 

"I think the thing that first impressed me, with Kyle, within this league, No. 3 quarterbacks—that's what he was at the time—they don't get a lot of reps. But he really made those reps count," Lynch added about Purdy's time sitting beneath Lance and Garoppolo on the depth chart. "And so it's pretty bold to go in there, try to move [linebacker] Fred Warner with your eyes or body. A lot of [less-experienced players] are going to really play it safe, and he would take those chances. And so I think it showed another quality. He wasn't afraid to take some risks, but they were very calculated, and he made all of his reps really count, and made an impression on everyone."

There was hope last week that Garoppolo could possibly return for the postseason tournament, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has since said that's not realistic. For better or for worse, the 49ers are Purdy's team, as long as he remains healthy, through at least Week 18 on Jan. 8.