All four of the 49ers quarterbacks suffered injuries that took them out of games last season, but Brock Purdy paused that run of misfortune this year. Not long after completing his recovery from UCL surgery, Purdy looks likely to miss at least one game due to a concussion.
San Francisco’s starting quarterback entered concussion protocol following the team’s Monday trip to Minneapolis, Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. No player placed in concussion protocol during the week has rebounded to play this season, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting Kenny Pickett was the last to do so. The Steelers QB did so in Week 7 of last year.
This points Sam Darnold toward a start against the Bengals in Week 8. The 49ers signed Darnold early in free agency, seeking to add a veteran while Purdy rehabbed and Trey Lance returned from a fractured ankle that required two surgeries. Darnold ended up beating out Lance in training camp, and the 2018 No. 3 overall pick has been Purdy’s backup all season.
Purdy began showing concussion-like symptoms on the plane ride back from Minnesota, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows tweets. The 49ers are holding out hope the Mr. Irrelevant investment-turned-starter can clear the protocol in time for Week 8, but since the NFL elongated the process after the Tua Tagovailoa investigation last year, players have more steps to navigate before doing so. Hence the above-referenced return ratio skewing entirely toward players missing the next game.
A fourth-quarter quarterback-sneak attempt resulted in Purdy taking a blow to the head on a hit from Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks, though the second-year passer stayed in the game. After ramping up in exercise, Purdy must be cleared by both a 49ers physician and an independent neurological consultant before returning to action. The beefed-up protocols have effectively put a stop to players making instant re-emergences after head injuries, and the 49ers will likely be dealt another setback at the game’s premier position.
In a short week, the 49ers will face a Bengals team coming off its bye. Darnold, however, is one of the NFL’s most experienced backups. He started 55 games with the Jets and Panthers from 2018-22. The 26-year-old passer finished last season as Carolina’s starter, taking over after the team’s Baker Mayfield experiment fizzled. Darnold has struggled with accuracy for much of his career, not completing more than 60% of his passes since 2019. He was at the controls when the Panthers surprisingly rebounded last season, going 4-2 as a starter.
While the former USC star has yet to establish himself as a dependable option, he has shown flashes and chose the 49ers due largely to Shanahan and the offensive talent the team has in place. That nucleus dwarfs the setups Darnold had in New York and Charlotte, though San Francisco was without All-Pros Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel on Monday. Should Darnold be called upon, he will be the seventh 49ers starting quarterback in Shanahan’s tenure. Brandon Allen, who signed with the team in May, would be in place as his backup.
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