Mr. Irrelevant has a shot: Brock Purdy adds gunslinger mentality to 49ers

Fred Warner saw a lot of new San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy in practice, as he led the scout team offense against Warner and the defense each week. So the All-Pro linebacker was not surprised by how the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft played when he took over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.

Warner said Purdy has been groomed by the intense competition with San Francisco's defense — ultra-competitive seven-on-seven red-zone periods on Fridays that include some trash talk between the young signal-caller and the veteran defense.

"This past practice he tried me twice, and both times there were incomplete passes, and I was giving it to him," Warner told reporters. "I'm like yelling back at him, ‘You know better, Purdy!' just because I know he can take that. That's how I know he's ready.

"He's played against the best defense in the league for the past 13 weeks, so he's going to be just fine."

Purdy took over after Garoppolo suffered a broken left foot in the second series of the first quarter in San Francisco's 33-17 win at home over the Miami Dolphins. The injury will require surgery, meaning Garoppolo is done for the season.

Garoppolo is the second starting quarterback San Francisco has lost this season, joining Trey Lance, who suffered a season-ending broken ankle that required surgery in a Week 2 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

This is the latest setback for Garoppolo, one of a series of injuries that has made him unreliable as the team's starter — one of the reasons they turned to Lance in the offseason.

Garoppolo spent the entire offseason recovering from shoulder surgery on his throwing arm, which was performed in March.

"It's pretty crushing," Shanahan said. "We know what Jimmy has been through, how hard he's worked at this. I got that news in the second quarter, so it was a little different for me because of how happy we were for that game. It was a really cool game, just as a team. All the stuff that went on during that game and to be able to overcome some things. It was such a special win, but definitely some mixed emotions hearing about Jimmy." 

Shanahan said there's no possibility of Lance's returning this season. Garoppolo has played just one full season since taking over as the team's starting quarterback in 2017. He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in 2018, dealt with high-ankle sprains two years ago and a broken thumb and sprained shoulder on his right throwing arm last season.

However, the 49ers are 42-19 in games the Eastern Illinois product has started and 9-29 when he's not on the field.

In relief duty Sunday, Purdy showed he can keep the chains moving, make quick decisions and effectively get the ball into the hands of San Francisco's talented playmakers.

Purdy finished 25-of-37 (67.6% completion percentage) for 210 yards, with two touchdown passes and an interception. He was sacked three times, posting an 88.8 passer rating.

Selected No. 262 overall, Purdy was this year's Mr. Irrelevant. But he was a four-year starter at Iowa State, where he threw for 12,170 yards and 81 touchdowns, completing 68% of his passes.

"That's just where I fell in the draft," Purdy said after Sunday's game. "I'm very thankful that I got drafted, but I've always had confidence and belief in myself that I can play at this level. Especially through the preseason games and the times I've gotten into the game.

"It's football. And I played four years in college as a starter, in terms of 11-on-11 and speed, all that stuff. I've had that experience. So, to get in and play and now starting next week, it's something I've always looked forward to. And I've honestly told myself that it's going to happen. Here we are."

Shanahan's enamored with Purdy because of his gunslinger mentality.

"Brock naturally looks a lot more often for the deeper one than the shorter one, which is awesome," Shanahan said. "Sometimes it helped today. And a couple early I thought he missed, having someone quick there, then trying to look for someone deeper and then running out of time to come back to the short one.

"You like that about a guy's personality. You want that much more than the other way. Now it's about playing, getting the guy experience. He got a lot of experience in college. This is really his first NFL game here, and he's going to get a lot more experience going forward."

Added defensive end Nick Bosa: "Whenever he's gotten his shot in preseason, he's looked like he had some dog in him. I love his mindset. He's super tough. He's not afraid to make mistakes. He gets playmakers the ball. He's our guy now, so we've got to roll with him."

Winners of five straight, San Francisco remains atop the NFC West at 8-4 with five games remaining. The 49ers were one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl with Garoppolo as the team's starter.

Reaching that lofty goal without either of their top two quarterbacks is less likely. The 49ers added veteran Josh Johnson to the practice squad, joining Jacob Eason there for depth behind Purdy.

But for right now, Purdy will get the opportunity to lead San Francisco, with his first start coming against 45-year-old Tom Brady. Purdy, 22, was born 10 months before Brady's first game action as a rookie with the New England Patriots in November 2000.

And Purdy will benefit from the NFL's top-ranked defense, an All-Pro left tackle in Trent Williams and playmakers such as Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle.

"I think it's cool," Purdy said about Sunday's matchup against Tampa Bay. "I think it's really cool. Dude's been playing football longer than I've been alive. Yeah, to have a first start against the G.O.A.T, it's going to be pretty cool. But it's just like any other game. I have to be efficient, do my thing and play good football."

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Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.