According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy is a “long shot” to play in Week 2 and that the franchise QB could be out longer than just this weekend.
Purdy is currently dealing with a left shoulder injury, in addition to a toe injury suffered in the final minutes of the first half of his team’s Week 1 victory over Seattle. The 25 year old was listed as a non-participant at practice on Wednesday, with Mac Jones taking first team reps instead.
According to reports out of the Bay Area, the Niners are preparing for their Week 2 tilt against the New Orleans Saints as though Jones will be under centre. Veteran defensive end Nick Bosa told reporters that the club had confidence in the former Patriots’ quarterback if he is indeed called into action this weekend.
“I like Mac a lot,” Bosa said. “Getting to know him this camp, and I think he’s really popped on tape throughout camp. If Mac does start, I think it’s a little more advantageous for him being earlier in the year since he’s gotten some real reps recently, and he’s not 10 weeks into the season taking only scout team [snaps], getting pinballed around by the D-line and scout team. I think that’s a bright side.”
With Purdy possibly sidelined for multiple weeks, the 49ers worked out free agent QB Mike White on Wednesday. The team could also promote Adrian Martinez from the practice squad, but with injuries mounting elsewhere, San Francisco could find themselves in a roster crunch in the coming days.
Running back Christian McCaffrey has been dealing with a calf issue, let tackle Trent Williams appeared to tweak his knee in Week 1, DL Yetur Gross-Matos is also dealing with a knee issue, while WR Jauan Jennings is nursing a shoulder injury which kept him out of practice Wednesday as well. All of this is in addition to perennial Pro Bowl TE George Kittle being placed on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the next 4 games with a hamstring strain.
All in all, San Francisco may be 1-0, but their current roster is going to look nothing like their preseason one when the team travels to New Orleans. Expect GM John Lynch to start getting creative to likely add another QB in the coming days, while potentially also seeing Jennings in street clothes in Week 2.
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