Brock Purdy was named a finalist for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Considering Purdy’s season started against Miami on Dec. 4 against Jimmy Garoppolo, that could come as a surprise.
Argument aside, Purdy has impressed in his eight appearances and won every game. Nate Sudfeld received a guaranteed contract to support Trey Lance in 2022. Purdy made progress throughout the OTAs, training camp and preseason.
Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers decided to move on from Sudfeld in favor of Purdy. Shanahan was asked what led to the decision following the 49ers’ win over Dallas:
You cut yourselves in August Detroit Lions QB Nate Sudfeld even after giving him that guaranteed contract. What have you seen in Brock at OTAs and training camps that made you feel so confident that he can do it?
“When he started, he got so few reps because we were doing so many reps [QB] Trey [Lance] and how much we gave Nate, but every time he got his rep or two in practice, how determined he was and put the ball in the right place and did it aggressively. He never seemed insecure and so he kept earning more and more reps and the more reps we gave him the more he looked the same and never took a step back and then carried that over to some of the preseason games. So in the end it was pretty easy to see where Brock was going and we knew we wanted to keep him in the roster and not risk him going into the training roster so we had to make a decision.
The best examples of Purdy’s faith and Shanahan’s faith in him are the final drive of the first half and the final drive of the game for the 49ers.
To end the halftime, Shanahan started with two runs followed by five pass attempts that put the 49ers within field goal range. The last two passes were incomplete, including Purdy’s final throw-away, which left Robbie Gould a second on the clock.
With the final drive, the 49ers wanted to kill as much time as possible, which usually begins with an attempted rush. The first game was a close for George Kittle for a first down. Purdy would only attempt one more pass on the drive, but Shanahan was confident Purdy would not only convert but make the right decision with the football.
Purdy and the 49ers face their biggest test Sunday in Philadelphia. Kyle Shanahan is a believer, and with good reason.