06 July 2023 , 20:41
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Kyle Juszczyk has heaped praise on Brock Purdy as the emerging San Francisco 49ers star faces a fight for fitness ahead of the new NFL season.
The 23-year-old came into the 2022 season as the 49ers' third-string quarterback before establishing himself in a starting role after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were injured. The rookie took his whirlwind rise in his stride, with his performances catching the eye as he helped the team on its way to the NFC Championship Game.
Before the cruel blow of an injury sustained against the Philadelphia Eagles, he completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards, while also registering 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven outings in his rookie regular season. Then, across three playoff games, he completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 569 yards, while notching three touchdowns and no interceptions.
However, an unfortunate ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow leaves the Arizonan facing a battle for fitness heading into his sophomore year. Backed by many to potentially earn a Pro Bowl selection if he can put his injury woes behind him, the 49ers are optimisitc that Purdy will return to practice towards the end of August and possibly even make the start of the campaign.
The 49ers remain hopeful that Purdy can start practicing again sometime during the second half of August, maybe in time to be the team's Week 1 starter. With expectations high that they can go one better this time around and become NFC champions, the youngster will likely head into the season as a starter but Lance and Sam Darnold are waiting in the wings if he is ruled out.
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Now, fullback Kyle Juszczyk has admitted that the 49ers' players are eager to see how things pan out, particularly given Purdy's importance to the team last season. Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, he did reveal that the man fans have dubbed "Mr. Relevant" is winning the battle for fitness.
He said: “At the end of the day, it’s up to [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and with Brock [Purdy] recovering from his injury, he can’t really be in a competition during OTAs and that sort of thing.
Kyle Juszczyk #44 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts as he takes the field prior to an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 14, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) (Michael Owens/Getty Images)"We’ll see when we get back for training camp how much he can do. But from my understanding, it seems like Brock has the upper hand and I don’t know if that’s the official word."
For the time being, however, the 32-year-old has backed Purdy to build on his showings from the last campaign, stating that his experiences in college football will stand him in good stead. He explained: “When I describe Brock to people—and truly, this is the biggest compliment that I could ever receive—I say, ‘He’s a football player'. The guy has just played a lot of ball. He started since he was a freshman at Iowa State, so he played a lot of games.
Adding that he was impressed with the rookie's ability to handle the pressure during the previous season, he said: "He was so well prepared that he didn’t have to overthink things, and he really just ran the offense, he didn’t try to do too much. He trusted in the playmakers that he had. He’s got a plethora of weapons in our offense, and he didn’t try to take on too much. He just went out there, and he reacted."