49ers QB coach details why, where Brock Purdy must improve

San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Brian Griese didn't dance around the issue when detailing why and how Brock Purdy must improve following his breakout rookie season. 

"...There's a lot of things that Brock can and needs to get better at, for this team to go where we want to go," Griese explained, per Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area. "And Brock and I, we've had that conversation and he knows, he's the first one to tell you and that's normal too for a young player. So I'm excited to get him back, get him healthy and see how good he can be." 

Purdy began his NFL career as the last pick of the 2022 draft but entered the lineup as a full-time QB1 in early December when both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance were injured. With Purdy under center, the 49ers won five consecutive regular-season contests and then completed a journey to the NFC Championship Game, where the 23-year-old suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. 

Purdy underwent surgery in March, but 49ers general manager John Lynch and at least one insider believe the signal-caller could be good to go for the Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. While Purdy isn't cleared to practice, he's nevertheless working on improving multiple aspects of his game ahead of summer training camp sessions. 

"I think that when you're thrown into the fire, there's a lot that you learn on the fly and there's a lot of things that we all saw that he does really well," Griese added about Purdy. "His composure, his accuracy, his escape-ability. I'd love to see him continue to grow in every aspect of playing quarterback and that's timing, it's rhythm, it's accuracy, it's reading defenses, it's playing from the pocket, limiting turnovers, giving our team the best chance to win." 

Purdy attempted just 170 passes across seven of nine regular-season appearances and five starts as a first-year pro. He completed 114 (67.1%) of those throws for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he added a single score on the ground. 

Assuming Purdy continues to mature as an offensive CEO under Griese, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the San Francisco staff, the club theoretically could begin shopping Lance as soon as this fall.