In two seasons and change as the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback, Brock Purdy has shown lots of promise and proven in spurts that he could be a franchise-caliber signal-caller. But he still has plenty left to prove, especially after a somewhat down 2024 season.
Plenty of people around the NFL are still doubting whether he's all that, and a number of rankings have him outside the top 10 or even 15 quarterbacks. Although the 49ers have had to deal with lots of key injuries over the last calendar year, their fortunes still largely rest on his shoulders.
Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd has doubted Purdy before, and he was at it again when he questioned the 25-year-old's ability to carry the team regardless of who he has available to play around him.
"What happens when they are fire starters?" Cowherd said. "What happens -- you gotta come in. You're the firefighter. You're putting that puppy out. And that's a little bit like being a quarterback in the NFL.
"Everybody's good with a stacked roster. ... So I don't want to hear any excuses for Brock Purdy.
"... Nobody's healthy at wide receiver. Deebo [Samuel] leaves, [Brandon] Aiyuk is not there yet. The guy you brought in (Russell Gage) to replace, at for the time being, your injured guy -- he just got hurt."
Purdy wasn't able to keep San Francisco afloat amid its many injuries last year, as it went 6-11 and missed the playoffs. Cowherd mentioned a number of other quarterbacks who were able to win in 2024 despite injuries or a deficient wide receiver room, and it's hard to argue against him.
At the same time, the Niners were not only hit by the injury bug last year -- they were ravaged by it. Star running back Christian McCaffrey, the NFL's Offensive Player of the year in 2023, was limited to four games due to multiple injuries. Aiyuk's season was cut short in October due to a severe knee injury, and prior to that, he was playing poorly after receiving a lucrative contract extension.
On top of that, several key offensive linemen and key defenders spent quite a bit of time dealing with injuries that kept them out of action.
For a while, the Niners were able to remain competitive by winning five of their first nine games. But after that, their wheels came completely off as the compound effect of all those injuries truly kicked in.
Purdy had made the Pro Bowl and led the team to back-to-back come-from-behind playoff wins in 2023. But his passing accuracy and touchdown percentage fell in 2024, and he did poorly down the stretch of close games.
The 2025 season could very well be an acid test of sorts for Purdy. If he duplicates the type of football he played in 2023, he could prove his doubters and haters wrong. But if he doesn't, some could perhaps start to call for the 49ers to look for a replacement under center.
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