San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy remains on track in his rehab from elbow surgery.
Immediately following surgery, Purdy's timeline had him beginning to throw in early June. Speaking on KNBR on Thursday, general manager John Lynch confirmed that the quarterback is on pace to hit that mark.
"I just got a report from the trainers," Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show. "So Week 12, that's where he can actually go out, start lobbing a football. And according to the surgeon, you start getting a little better read on exactly where he's at right about then.
"I think that's just kind of an indicator of where he's at. And then obviously you have to work up your strength, your stamina, you have to increase reps, distance, all those things. But that's going to be well thought out, and he's doing well. I think you just take it day by day. It's cliché, but it's the best thing you can do, and he's done a great job of doing that."
Purdy underwent surgery March 10. Twelve weeks would make his first throwing session around June 2
Purdy's progress shrouds everything the Niners do this offseason. He's expected to be the starting quarterback if healthy, but no one has a firm sense of when that will be. Lynch has said he hopes the QB is ready for the season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted Purdy could be out until Week 4. Asked last month when he'll play in 2023, the second-year QB said he's "not sure, honestly."
Lynch noted that Purdy is already in the Niners' building for offseason workouts, preparing as much as he can while undergoing rehab.
"He's not out there throwing yet," Lynch said. "That's going to happen around Week 12 (12 weeks after surgery), [which] is kind of the next inflection point. But he's doing really good, doing everything that he can do. As you know, that's just Brock's personality, and it's great to see him out here every day."
We won't know a firm timeline on Purdy's preparedness to play in 2023 until lobbing a football turns into heaving, which turns into ripping, and finally, game-ready action. The good news is there hasn't been an early-rehab setback.
