Brock Purdy's long-shot chance of playing in Week 2 has dropped even longer.
The 49ers quarterback is expected to miss 2-5 weeks while dealing with a turf toe variant and an issue in his non-throwing shoulder, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday on Good Morning Football.
"What we're dealing with is kind of a week-to-week thing," 49ers general manager John Lynch told KNBR later Thursday. "That's our information. Brock's doing well, coming back from it. We'll just treat it as such. He's doing a nice job, doing everything he can to get back out there as soon as possible. That's where we're at."
Purdy's status has grown increasingly less optimistic as the week has progressed, with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan opening the week on Monday by telling reporters Purdy's toe was the greater issue. Later on Wednesday, Shanahan said Purdy's hopes of playing Sunday in New Orleans were a "long shot" at best and it could be a multi-week issue.
Now, we understand why Shanahan wasn't more optimistic during the week. Though somewhat trivial in name, turf toe is known to be a nagging and incredibly limiting injury that requires time off to properly heal. If ever there were a time to allow Purdy to get healthy, it's near the start of the season.
Mac Jones will be expected to start in place of Purdy, bringing four years of NFL experience -- including the 2024 season spent as a backup called into action for 10 games in Jacksonville -- to the 49ers.
San Francisco will already play the Week 2 game without tight end George Kittle, who suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game and landed on injured reserve this week. With a wider window for a possible return, it's fair to expect Purdy to remain on the active roster as he heals, although the 49ers will likely have to promote Adrian Martinez from the practice squad to serve as Jones' backup on Sunday.
