Brock Purdy injury: 49ers QB explains recovery with 'robotic arm,' still unsure when he'll be ready to play

Purdy will know more on his recovery timeline three months post-surgery

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy underwent successful elbow surgery this offseason to repair his UCL with an internal brace, and now his focus is on recovering. Whether he will be ready for the start of the 2023 season is still unknown, and head coach Kyle Shanahan noted the recovery could be anywhere from six to eight months.

Purdy and Shanahan have both said they will know more on where the quarterback's status lands for the regular season once his recovery hits the three-month mark. As of now, Purdy says things are "going as planned."

"The protocol is you start throwing at three months, but it all depends on how your therapy and your range of motion and everything goes up until that point," Purdy said (via The Mercury News). "There are definitely some boxes I have to check off first before I get to that point, but that's the plan as of now."

Purdy's progress was monitored right after he got out of surgery, and he complimented the commitment of his medical team. 

"I'm with a specialist out here who's done this rehab on the elbow hundreds of thousands of times," Purdy said of his physical therapist, Keith Kocher. "He's a baseball guy and they trust in him and everything is going as planned."

The 23-year-old gave some insight into his recovery process, saying he is working on his range of motion. He's since moved up to putting weighted cuffs around his wrists and lifting up his arms, meant to help gain his arm strength back. Once the stitches come out, he can progress to cardio.

Purdy is currently in a brace that he describes as looking like "a robotic arm."

"When you first get in it after surgery, you're in it at 90 degrees. From there, you can start opening it up to help with your range of motion," Purdy said, describing the brace. "It is just to keep your arm safe when you're out walking around or doing therapy. But at night, I can take it off and just do some normal motions with just looking at my arm."

The former last pick in the draft already has his sights on goals for next season and beyond, saying he wants to get to the Super Bowl, something the 49ers fell just short of in 2022.

"That's to get back to the NFC championship and win the Super Bowl," Purdy said, discussing his hopes for his career. "You do have to get past [the injury]. But at the same time you have to sort of remember the things that happen, that make you who you are."

He wants to be sure the injury does not alter his attitude on and off the field. 

"For me, I'm not going to let something like that tear me down or anything. I'm going to learn from it and we're going to get better," Purdy said.