Former Iowa State QB Brock Purdy a few weeks away from throwing after UCL surgery
The anticipation surrounding Brock Purdy's right-elbow surgery has grown by the day ever since the former Iowa State quarterback nearly led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in a relief role.
Purdy was injured in the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles and underwent successful surgery March 10 to repair his UCL. The initial recovery time was six months, but several important milestones must be reached along the way. San Francisco general manager John Lynch updated Purdy's status Thursday on San Francisco's KNBR, saying the ex-Cyclone is a few weeks away from being able to start throwing.
"He's not out there throwing yet," Lynch said on "The Murph and Mac Show." "That's going to happen around week 12 (after surgery). (That) is kind of the next inflection point. But he's doing really good, doing everything that he can do. As you know, that's just Brock's personality. And it's great to see him out here every day."
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Purdy's ascension last season has put him squarely in the middle of San Francisco's future quarterback plans. Jimmy Garoppolo has moved on to the Las Vegas Raiders, and while Trey Lance and Sam Darnold are on the roster, Purdy's health will seemingly dictate the quarterback direction more than anything else.
Late August or early September is the target range for Purdy's clearance. NFL teams open the 2023 regular season during the second week of September.
"He's working hard each and every day, and our staff has done a really nice job working with his surgeon and his (physical therapy) guy down in Arizona," Lynch said. "So we had to get that all kind of coordinated so that Brock felt comfortable being up here, and we got that accomplished. So Brock's here working with his teammates. They're in phase two."
Twelve weeks from surgery would be around early June. If Purdy can get to that point without any issues, consider it another positive step forward in his recovery.
"Week 12 (after surgery), that's where he can actually go out, start lobbing a football. And according to the surgeon, you start getting a little better read on exactly where he's at right about then," Lynch said.
"I think that's just kind of an indicator of where he's at. And then obviously you have to work up your strength, your stamina. You have to increase reps, distance, all those things. But that's going to be well thought-out, and he's doing well. I think you just take it day by day. It's cliche, but it's the best thing you can do. And he's done a great job of doing that."
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 49ers GM John Lynch updates Brock Purdy's status after elbow surgery
