Brock Purdy speaks on toe injury as 49ers play waiting game with QBs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers may be leaning toward having Mac Jones make a second consecutive start this weekend, but weren’t ready to declare their intentions on Thursday.

Starting quarterback Brock Purdy was on the field during the media window, along with Jones and No. 3 quarterback Adrian Martinez. The 49ers even had Purdy make his scheduled appearance with the media after a limited practice session.

“It’s been a day-to-day thing this week, and I feel I’m happy with my progress I’ve been making with my foot and toe,” Purdy said. “Nothing really more to it than that.”

It’s likely coach Kyle Shanahan won’t have much more to say about it when he speaks to the media Friday, other than that Purdy will be listed as “questionable.”

“I’ve just got to see come game time how I feel,” Purdy said. “I want to be out there ... if you ask me, I’d love to (play) but I’m trying to be smart with my body and you never know. We’ll see when the game comes.”

However, Jones took the podium as well, meaning Purdy’s right turf toe might not be ready for the 49ers’ home opener against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

Told by tackle Trent Williams to get out and “hoop” in last weekend’s 26-21 win over New Orleans, Jones was asked if he’d be hooping against Arizona.

“Hopefully,” Jones said.

Not that it will change his approach much.

“As a backup, you’re not playing the first snap, and as a starter you are,” Jones said. “You’ve got to be ready for both. The externals don’t really matter. You just have to focus on the game plan and getting everything tidied up for Sunday.”

Shanahan didn’t speak with the press Thursday. He did say Wednesday he hadn’t ruled out Purdy being the backup for a week while he heals more completely, if he’s not 100% but is healthy enough to step in for Jones, if things go awry.

In his weekly appearance on the 49ers’ flagship KNBR-680, 49ers general manager John Lynch was keeping it close to the vest for two reasons. One, Purdy still has more rehab time and could possibly return after missing a single game in New Orleans. Two, there’s no reason to disclose the 49ers’ intentions to the Cardinals, if it’s not necessary.

“I can tell you it was encouraging to see him practice,” Lynch said Thursday about Purdy’s limited session the previous day. “That means he got out there and had some activity. I think everyone saw that. The key now is how does he respond to that? We’ll find out later if and see if he can get back out there. Mac is preparing and will be ready ... we’ll make an organizational decision on where Brock’s at later in the week.”

As with any injury, there are degrees of severity depending on the extent of the trauma. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow had a case of turf toe so severe he’ll have surgery and miss three months of the season. Purdy has been walking without a limp and hasn’t been seen wearing the protective boot that is often part of the recovery process.

Purdy couldn’t pinpoint the time of the injury against Seattle. He told coaches his toe was bothering him but he was never removed from the game.

“I think it was an accumulation of certain plays and different moments in the game,” Purdy said. “It was the adrenaline cool down and I was like, ‘All right, something’s wrong with my toe here.’ ”

After the Cardinals, the 49ers host Jacksonville on Sept. 28, and then visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, Oct. 2.

Although Purdy and Jones operate the same offensive system with little change in play calling and design, at least one Arizona player was willing to state a preference as to which one he’d rather see.

“Do you want a truthful answer?” Arizona defensive end Calais Campbell said in an interview on NFL.com. “The truthful answer is I’d much rather play against Mac Jones. It’s not a shot because Mac is a first-round talent. He just hasn’t been in that offense a long time. … With Brock, he’s a master of that offense. He can make it go.”

Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon stressed that getting Jones instead of Purdy doesn’t change things much.

“He’s smart, has talent, with where he was drafted and what he’s done already,” Gannon said told reporters. “He’s accurate, more mobile than you think. He’ll stay in there and take shots and deliver the ball accurately.”.

In Week 1, Purdy was 26 for 35 for 277 yards with two interceptions and two touchdowns, including the game winner on a 4-yard pass to tight end Jake Tonges. Against New Orleans, Jones was 26 of 39 for 279 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Lynch compared Jones’ play to that of Sam Darnold, who played for the 49ers as a backup to Purdy in 2023 but didn’t get extensive time until the season finale, and the 49ers had wrapped up the NFC West and the No. 1 seed.

“Maybe it hasn’t gone the way they wanted elsewhere, but maybe if we put them in our situation and pour into them, maybe we can get all that talent that we see out of them,” Lynch said.

On the first of his weekly appearances, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is of the belief that the 49ers and Shanahan are where quarterbacks go to get well.

“Mac gets the benefit of being here and seeing how good he can get,” Young said. “Because that’s the promise. If you come here, we’ll see how good you are. And he’s willing to take that chance, so good for him.”