Have the 49ers mismanaged Brock Purdy’s injury?

The 49ers decided to bypass surgery with Purdy. He came back in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and reaggravated his injury, and has been sidelined ever since.    

There has been frustration from the fan base questioning whether the team mismanaged his injury by not electing surgery and placing him on IR. Every injury is different, and the organization thought he was good enough to play. That proved not to be the case.

Another reason they choose not to put Purdy on IR is that teams can only return eight players from IR spots during the season, and with the rash of injuries they have suffered, those potential spots were dwindling.

Brock Purdy is close to returning 

Head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed some optimism on Purdy's chance to return in Week 11, but he has to pass a few aggressive practices during the week to be cleared to play. 

Shanahan said he felt something didn't feel completely right when they brought Purdy back in Week 4, and this time he wants him to be completely right and ready. Even though he was healthy enough to play against Jacksonville, after going through practices and first-team reps that week, he still injured himself during the game. 

The organization did its due diligence and deemed him healthy enough to play. It took a risk putting him back in, and it didn't work out as he got injured again. That has raised questions about the team's handling of the situation, but it was more unfortunate circumstance than mismanagement.   

Fortunately for the 49ers, they have managed to post a 6-4 record and remained in the playoff race despite the rash of injuries, something that has helped prevent the grumbling of the fan base regarding the Purdy situation from growing louder.