The San Francisco 49ers prepare to host the Houston Texans. This time, they’ll be doing it without their starting quarterback Brock Purdy and star wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. Purdy’s played through a right big toe injury that’s hampered him since Week 4. Just the other day, he tweaked the turf toe he originally sprained back in Week 1. The 49ers, meanwhile, will have to once again lean on backup QB Mac Jones. This will be his sixth appearance of the season and his fourth straight start.
Nick Wagoner has covered the 49ers since 2016. He updated us that yes, Purdy has improved some, but we still don’t know how completely he will recover. Head coach Kyle Shanahan remarked that Purdy was “two weeks better” than he was on his previous road trip to Tampa. The specific biomechanics of Purdy’s toe injury means it’s nearly impossible to determine when he’ll be back.
“It is different dealing with a toe,” – Kyle Shanahan
The 49ers will be without Pearsall too, who suffered a right knee injury. Defensive ends Bryce Huff and Yetur Gross-Matos were hampered by hamstring injuries. Gross-Matos’ injury occurred in the Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Additionally, center Jake Brendel will miss the next two weeks. He injured his hamstring last week during the game against the Atlanta Falcons.
First, the good news—and maybe the very good news—the 49ers have activated Spencer Burford’s 21-day practice window. He’s eyeing a return from injured reserve, which adds optimism for further fortifying their roster in the weeks ahead. On the major news, Brandon Aiyuk should be able to start practicing next week! His absence has been on the PUP list due to a knee injury.
Even with these difficult restrictions from injury history, Coach Shanahan is still hopeful on Purdy’s recovery.
“But I’d say it’s steadily getting better each week.” – Kyle Shanahan
As he admitted, the glacial pace has made it impossible for them to put a firm timeline in place for Purdy’s return. With the Texans as the next opponent on the calendar, the entire situation is still very much in flux.
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