The 49ers have been extremely hush-hush about Brock Purdy’s turf toe injury since he rushed back and reaggravated it during their Week 4 loss to the Jaguars.
On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if it’s a reach to say that Purdy is on track to start this Sunday against the Texans. Shanahan paused, then said, “Yes, I would say that is (a reach). No one has said that.”
To be clear, the 49ers haven’t said much of anything. It was Brock Purdy who informed the crew broadcasting the 49ers’ game against the Buccaneers that there is no definite timetable for his return, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
“The 49ers had Week 8 circled (for Purdy’s return), but that is not guaranteed,” Russini said. “It’s still really up in the air. He went through a workout (Sunday) on the field, and I was told that he didn’t feel that great. So we’ll see how this progresses over the next few days.
“And he shared too how frustrated he is. He doesn’t want to sit and watch this happen, especially after just getting paid. And it sounds like it’s one of those nagging pains, too, where you’re trying, you feel like you can go a little bit more, and then when you push it, that’s when the pain comes back.
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Here’s my interpretation.
When Purdy initially injured his toe in Week 1, it was reported that he was out for 2 to 5 weeks. Keep in mind, the 49ers have a long history of rushing players back from injury and underselling the severity of injuries to the public. So it’s no surprise that Purdy returned to the field after just two weeks to play against the Jaguars. The 49ers clearly wanted him to play, he probably felt he owed it to the team that just paid him to at least give it a go.
But when Purdy returned, he clearly wasn’t ready. His passes had no zip and were inaccurate, and he couldn’t move well. Essentially, he wasn’t Brock Purdy. He was a Purdy impostor. Purdy without his Purdy powers.
As a result, the 49ers lost, and Purdy reinjured his toe. Now, there is no timetable for his return. Are the 49ers suddenly being extra cautious, or is it Purdy?
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I’m guessing Purdy has decided not to play until he feels 100 percent recovered from this injury. He tried to play on it once, he made it worse and extended his absence, and now he’s going to make sure that never happens again. That’s my best interpretation.
It’s also possible that Purdy rushed back for Week 4 and the 49ers have decided to take the cautious approach with him from here on out. We can’t know for sure.
One way or another, it doesn’t seem likely that Purdy will play this Sunday against the Houston Texans.
