SANTA CLARA – Coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers remain hopeful that quarterback Brock Purdy will clear the NFL’s concussion protocol to be available for Sunday’s game.
However, if Purdy is unavailable for the Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi’s Stadium, backup quarterback Sam Darnold has the opportunity to provide the team with some return on their offseason investment.
“I have as much confidence in Sam as I have in anyone I haven’t played a real NFL game with,” Shanahan said.
The 49ers signed Darnold as a free agent at the start of the NFL signing period to a one-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $5.1 million. There were incentives built into his contract that could double his seasonal salary.
The decision to acquire Darnold came at a time when Purdy’s condition was unknown following elbow surgery and Trey Lance was in the final stages of recovery from a broken lower leg.
The 49ers believed all along that Purdy would be the starter when healthy again.
Then Darnold beat out Lance in training camp to earn the backup role. Instead of keeping Lance as the No. 3 quarterback, the 49ers traded him to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick.
“He was great in the offseason,” Shanahan said of Darnold. “He has done great here in the seven weeks so far and is always ready to go.”
Darnold (2018) and Lance (2021) were both No. 3 overall draft picks.
Darnold’s experience as a starter in 55 NFL games shone through – even if all of that experience wasn’t entirely successful.
The 26-year-old Darnold was believed to have a better chance of staying fit during the regular season, even if his only practice time was spent directing the offensive plays of the 49ers’ upcoming opponent.
“He doesn’t get a lot of reps like any backup player does, but he’s doing well on the scout team,” Shanahan said. “He’s always good in the meetings.”
RELATED: Stephen A. Smith ‘lost trust in Purdy’ after Vikings game
Shanahan said Purdy has enough time to go through the five-step process to be cleared to play Sunday.
Purdy was able to participate in the team’s walk-through practice on Wednesday, where the 49ers used their own offensive players to stand in defensive positions. In non-walk-through periods, Darnold took all the snaps with the 49ers’ first-team offense.
The 49ers are scheduled to practice on Thursday at 1:00 p.m. PT.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast