Brock Purdy is AHEAD of rehab from UCL surgery San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan reveals

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s seems to be getting closer to being available for the 2023 regular season opener.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that Purdy is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from ulnar collateral ligament surgery on his right (throwing) elbow.

The procedure took place on March 10, and Purdy began a whelping program in late May, ahead of the scheduled 12 weeks post-surgery on June 2.

“Brock has been great in rehab,” Shanahan said. “He’s as obsessed with it as you can be. That’s why he’s ahead of schedule.’

49ers general manager John Lynch also recently said of Purdy and his rehab, “He’s hitting all his marks and we’re not surprised because he’s putting the work in.”

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Purdy now pitches three times a week while he recovers

Best case scenario, we just take it as it comes. The hope is that he is ready for training camp. The hope is that he is ready for the regular season.”

“We feel holistically good about that position,” Lynch added. “We’re not going to do anything to put Brock in a situation where he’s not fully healed.

“That means not just going back, but going back and getting reps under your belt.”

Purdy was injured during the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Shanahan had said before the NFL draft that Purdy could miss the first four weeks of the regular season.

Purdy didn’t pitch until the end of May after surgery. With the team in a two-day mandatory mini-camp, Shanahan was asked if the quarterback could have limited participation in training camp before being fully cleared to play.

“I’m not looking at him, to tell you the truth,” Shanahan said. “He’s right on schedule. He pitches three times a week.’

‘I’m not looking at that. It’s part of his process of coming back. He just continues on the track he was always on. No setbacks. It’s been really good so far.’

The coach said the team was taking steps “very slowly”. Purdy was seen in the weightlifting room on Tuesday doing some conditioning on a side court.

Trey Lance has been shooting shots as the starting QB this offseason during Purdy’s absence

The 49ers also signed journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold to add depth to the position

“It’s not like you just jump out and push things,” Shanahan said. ‘You can only throw on this date, with this percentage, so many metres. And a few days later you do a certain (amount). And if you stay on track, it should heal properly. And at the moment everything is well on track.

“So we’re not going — I’m not asking three weeks in advance. You just keep trying to stay on that trajectory.”

San Francisco opens the season on September 10 against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

The 49ers have options on the position with Trey Lance returning from a serious right ankle injury that required multiple surgeries, and free agent Sam Darnold joining the QB room after stops at the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.