SANTA CLARA — Quarterback Brock Purdy’s toe injury makes him a long shot to play in the 49ers’ game Sunday at New Orleans, and he could be out multiple games, coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday.
Purdy also is dealing with a left-shoulder injury and won’t practice Wednesday, but it is his unspecified toe injury that is a greater cause for concern.
Shanahan allowed it to be classified as a “turf toe” injury although it is not by definition strictly on the bottom of Purdy’s toe but also its side. The injury occured when tackled on a second-quarter scramble near the sideline, Shanahan said. It did not prevent Purdy from finishing out the game and delivering a winning touchdown pass to Jake Tonges in the closing minutes of a 17-13 season-opening win at Seattle.
Mac Jones is in line to start if Purdy can not.
“They’re real similar in how they play,” Shanahan said. “Both are tough, both can distribute the ball. I’m not sure who has the better 40-(yard dash) time but Purdy will say he scrambles better. They’re close to similar.”
The 49ers’ No. 3 quarterback option? At this point, it would be Adrian Martinez by default, seeing how he’s the only one available who’s under contract, albeit on the practice squad. Shanahan said roster issues prevent them from immediately adding a more veteran option at quarterback.
Jones sustained a left-knee injury in the 49ers’ Aug. 16 preseason game at Las Vegas and did not practice for a week. Martinez was the 2024 United Football League’s MVP with the Birmingham Stallions, and he’s never played an NFL snap, though he spent last season on the New York Jets’ practice squad.
Kurtis Rourke, a seventh-round draft pick, is on the Non-Football Injury List for at least three more games but likely longer as he recovers from January knee reconstruction.
Purdy showed no signs of left-shoulder and toe injuries during Sunday’s comeback, nor in the immediate aftermath, butShanahan divulged them in Monday’s press conference while expressing greater concern over Purdy’s toe.
Purdy’s left (non-throwing) shoulder was driven into the turf on a second-quarter hit by Seahawks’ 315-pound defensive tackle Jarran Reed, after Purdy threw away a third-down pass toward McCaffrey and the 49ers’ sideline.
The 49ers invested a $265 million contract extension in Purdy this offseason, and he immediately delivered with touchdown passes on their first and final possessions in Seattle, where he is 4-0 as a starter. Whereas Purdy engineered a 95-yard touchdown drive on the 49ers’ first series, he won it with a 4-yard, desperation floater that backup tight end Jake Tonges snagged in front of cornerback Riq Woolen for the decisive points in the 17-13 win.
Purdy has missed only two starts due to injury in his career: last season’s defeats at Green Bay (No. 24, right shoulder) and at Arizona (Jan. 5 finale, right elbow). He played through a fractured rib in his victorious road debut at Seattle in December 2022, he shook off a nerve stinger in Arizona to cap the same drive with a touchdown pass, though he experienced a similar injury a weeks later and not finish out a Christmas Night loss to Baltimore.
Of course, his biggest injury was a torn elbow ligament in the 2022 season’s NFC Championship Game loss at Philadelphia, where he was forced back in as an emergency option once the Eagles injured his only backup, Josh Johnson.
OTHER HEALTH UPDATES
Also not practicing are running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/vet rest), left tackle Trent Williams (knee/vet rest), defensive end Nick Bosa (vet rest), defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder). Limited are guard Ben Bartch (shoulder), wide receiver Jordan Watkins (ankle) and running back Jordan James (finger).
With George Kittle going on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, an invaluable target will be missing when the 49ers return to the Superdome for the first time since 2020. Kittle, a year earlier, made a legacy-defining fourth-down conversion catch in a 48-46 win there.
KICKER SWITCH
Eddy Piñeiro officially signed a one-year contract to replace Jake Moody as the 49ers’ kicker. Moody was waived on Tuesday, ending a turbulent tenure since his 2023 third-round selection. Piñeiro kicked the past three seasons for the Carolina Panthers and owns the NFL’s fourth-best field-goal accuracy (88.1%).
Related Articles
49ers of the 21st century: The best Niners of the last 25 years
49ers satisfy their competition itch on the golf course
49ers place George Kittle on injured reserve, replace kicker Jake Moody with Eddy Piñeiro
The 49ers defense is leaning on rookies. Here’s how they did in Week 1
49ers’ Fred Warner still ‘makes their defense go,’ says a Hall of Fame linebacker
