Kyle Shanahan has surprising Brock Purdy update — 49ers are confident in QB situation regardless

Brock Purdy missed the San Francisco 49ers' Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints with a toe and left shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1.

At the time, there was a chance that the injury could keep the quarterback out multiple weeks, but now head coach Kyle Shanahan has provided what seems to be a positive update for this weekend's game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Kyle Shanahan provides key update on Brock Purdy

"He wasn't limited last week," Shanahan said. "He does have a chance [to play]," Shanahan said on Wednesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.

According to Wagoner's reporting, of the two injuries, the toe issue seems to be more significant, and it was considered the main reason Purdy didn't play in Week 2. It's similar to turf toe. He was in the 49ers' locker room after that game, though, and he told reporters that his status for the Week 3 game was, "we'll see."

Connect those dots and it sounds like, at the very least, Purdy feels hopeful about his chances. If he's not fully back and able to go, he could also at least suit up and act as a backup for Mac Jones.

San Francisco 49ers confident in Brock Purdy's backup

If Purdy is out for the second straight week, Jones proved against the Saints that he can lead this team to a victory. The former first-round pick of the New England Patriots completed 26 of 39 passes against New Orleans for 279 yards and three touchdowns.

On Monday, running back Christian McCaffrey was among the players in the locker room who expressed confidence in Jones.

"In this league, whether or not you're a starter or a backup, you got to be ready to go at any point," McCaffrey said, per Wagoner. "In the NFL, you just never know. It's such a talented league and so many great players on the field. And Mac obviously is somebody who's proven himself already, but to have him as our backup is huge."

Out of Alabama, Jones was selected with pick No. 15 in the 2021 NFL Draft as the "heir apparent" to Tom Brady in the final years of the Bill Belichick era in New England. He flashed talent but was never able to be consistent. He also had incredibly big shoes to fill, so a case could be made that he was doomed to fail from the very start of his NFL career.

Jones started 42 games for the Patriots over three seasons, and he threw for 8,918 yards and 46 touchdowns compared to 36 interceptions. He's on a two-year, $8.4 million deal with the 49ers after spending the 2024 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.