Among the 49ers starters not expected to play in the team’s preseason opener against the Raiders is quarterback Brock Purdy.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan after Monday’s practice told reporters Purdy will participate in both joint practices with the Raiders and then sit out the game, though he reserved a chance to change his mind.
There’s a couple layers to Purdy’s likely absence from the first preseason contest.
First, it’s a good sign that the team is confident in where Purdy’s at in his return from offseason elbow surgery. Not that there’s concern about a setback at this point, but just in terms of his readiness to face a defense in a game setting. Perhaps if the joint practices are a disaster for him he’ll get some additional in-game reps. All signs for now point toward him staying on a normal QB1 track to the regular season.
Second, this will be a real opportunity for one of Trey Lance or Sam Darnold to separate themselves in the backup QB battle. While practices and meetings will sway the coaching staff some, the ability to translate that work to games is paramount. Those two should both get plenty of reps with the absence of the starting QB.
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