Tuesday's announcement that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was medically cleared to participate in the start of the team's training camp marked a significant step in his recovery from offseason elbow surgery, as it signaled the first time he could take the field with his teammates.
Though head coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy would have limits on the number of days he throws with a pitch count in each session, Purdy said Thursday he was confident in his health at this point, and feels no limitations in what he's able to do during practice.
"I feel like I'm good enough to play 11-on-11 football," Purdy told reporters. "We talked about that when I got back here with Shanahan. Basically I told him, I'm like, I feel good enough and confident enough that if I got in an 11-on-11 situation, I could make every throw. So, that's the conversation that we had and they gave me the green light to go out there and go.
"Obviously, the medical staff told them -- and they've been with me this whole time throwing in the offseason -- they gave Shanahan the green light to say, 'He's good enough to do it.' They've seen me throw, so we've all been on the same page the whole time. But, yeah I feel good enough to play football right now at camp, 11-on-11. Still gotta work up volume and just continue to get better every day."
Purdy's journey back from the elbow surgery he had in March has been well-documented, with fans and reporters alike watching anxiously as he hit every benchmark throughout the recovery process, from his first throwing session in June to his trip to Jacksonville to work with QB coach Will Hewlett.
And now that he's finally reached the point of running drills with teammates at camp, Purdy says the extensive preparation and careful load management during his rehab has put him in position to throw with only a few restrictions.
"So, I've actually worked up to this point, throwing back-to-back days. You know, have a heavy day of throwing and the next day maybe tune it down a little bit. But I've worked up to get to this point to where my arm doesn't hurt or anything like that," Purdy said. "Yeah, from throwing and stuff any quarterback will tell you, 'Hey I'm gonna go ice my arm or do whatever with my arm or do treatment on it.' And that's where I'm at.
"Arm feels great."
Purdy became San Francisco's starting quarterback in Week 13 of the 2022 season after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo fell victim to injuries. 2022's "Mr. Irrelevant" put together a 7-0 record as starter before a torn UCL took him out of the NFC Championship Game and ultimately led to the end of the 49ers' season.
"Obviously to end the year like we did last year was heartbreaking and everything. So, to go through surgery, rehab, the offseason, everything, and missing OTAs, and so just to be able to get out and say I played with my teammates and break the huddle, for that, to me I was just so excited thinking about that," Purdy said. "It's almost like last night was like Christmas, you're excited for the next day. That's how it was for me this morning. I was just happy to be out there."
