49ers’ Brock Purdy Misses Practice Amid Ongoing Toe Injury Concerns

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy missed practice Wednesday. He’s been playing on a toe injury that he re-aggravated in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. This would be the third time Purdy has missed practice in the first five games of the season. His availability for future games is now a serious question mark. Head coach Kyle Shanahan considers Purdy’s eventual return a week-to-week proposition, which indicates that things are still in flux.

Purdy first injured the toe during the season-opening win over the Steelers but has been unable to return to form since. Shanahan admitted that it was hard managing a player who is still learning the new system. He stated, “Obviously a guy who hasn’t been in your system very long and hasn’t gotten a lot of experience very long, you want to be as careful as you can.”

While Purdy continues to heal from his injury. Mac Jones stepped into the starting QB role for the 49ers and has won his last three starts. Jones himself has been fighting through injuries, including problems with his left knee as well as an oblique injury. So the team is tracking both quarterbacks as they approach their game this Friday.

Besides Purdy and Jones, other major players are dealing with injury issues. George Kittle is eligible to return from IR and he’s doing well. It’s too soon to tell if he’ll be playing in their next game. Ricky Pearsall has been in and out of practice with a knee injury. Jauan Jennings is out with rib/ankle injuries.

On the defensive end, Malik Mustapha and Kevin Givens both have their practice windows opened. Their return would provide the overwhelming spark that helped this team survive the gauntlet of injuries. On the other hand, Ben Bartch won’t be practicing next week when he’s eligible to return from injured reserve.

Though hopeful, Shanahan is noncommittal about Purdy’s status. He mentioned, “We’ll see if there’s a turn here on Thursday or Friday, but I’m not counting on it right now.” The coaching staff is playing it safe as they consider their options.