Reporting For Purdy

 Brock Purdy has been fully cleared to play ball. I'm extremely surprised as this puts him about a month and a half ahead of schedule. I know he was a Cyclone but he might just have some Wolervine in him too.

Training Camp - Quarterback Watch

By Scooter_McG

Training camp is just around the corner (finally), meaning football is almost back!

The 49ers enter training camp as one of the early betting favourites to win the Super Bowl, as befitting a team that has been to two straight NFCCGs and has retained its core group of players. The 49ers undoubtedly have one of the strongest rosters in the NFL with a number of elite level players - not many teams in the NFL can boast having as many players that would be considered top 5 at their position as the 49ers in Williams, Bosa, Warner, Kittle, McCaffrey and Juice, not to mention other top players such as Deebo, Aiyuk, Hargrave, Armstead, Ward, Greenlaw and Hufanga. 

While the roster is very strong, in particular the top end of the roster, there are a number of positions that will be highly intriguing during training camp as players battle it out for key roles. 

No position will be more under the microscope for the 49ers than the QB position. Nothing new there, feels like the QB spot has been hotly debated throughout Shanahan's regime. But this year there is extra intrigue as the presumed incumbent starter Brock Purdy is expected to miss most if not all of training camp, while Trey Lance, the player they gave up three first round picks for just two years ago, will be in the battle of his life with another former #3 overall pick in reclamation project Sam Darnold. 

According to Shanahan, Lance and Darnold will be going toe to toe during camp to see which player emerges and puts themself in contention to lead the team week 1. The time is now for Lance to stake his claim and show the 49ers he can handle the job - if he can't prove he deserves that shot in camp he may never get another chance to salvage his 49ers career. And if he wants to prove he deserves to be the 49ers long term starter he will need to not only beat out Sam Darnold but do so in a manner that leaves no doubt in Shanahan's mind that Lance is ready to cut loose in the NFL. 

For Sam Darnold, while he is in a position to compete with Lance he finds himself in quite a different situation. First off, Darnold has already put a lot of film out there for teams to judge, and for the most part it hasn't been great. But most notably, Darnold can come into this battle without the baggage of being the great hope of the franchise just a year earlier. Instead, Darnold will be coming at this as a great opportunity to rebuild his reputation around the league and build his confidence and skills in a system that helps its QB, without the pressure of needing to win the starting job.   

Meanwhile, Brock Purdy's role during camp will be to simply stay the course with his rehab. If he stays on schedule then he should be ready to play very early in the season, maybe as early as week 1. And despite only having played a handful of games, Purdy comes into the season without needing to compete for his job - in fact he can't compete for his job due to his injury. 

Perversely, anything Lance or Darnold does in camp to show they deserve the starting job may all be a moot point if Purdy can demonstrate he is sufficiently recovered by the end of camp. It almost feels like there is little Lance or Darnold can do in camp and preseason that could trump what Purdy put on film at the end of last season. 

High Stakes for Trey

This really puts Lance in a very tough situation. The stakes are very high for Lance as if he can't get on the field this year then he will have a hard time convincing any team next year he is ready to lead their franchise or even be part of a QB competition. So not only does he have to outplay Darnold during camp, but he also has to hope that either Purdy's recovery is delayed (so Lance can demonstrate in games he deserves the spot) or that Purdy fails to fire on his return (so he can take over). It's a stark reality of the NFL - from franchise saviour to fighting for your NFL career in 12 short months. 

In short, Lance really needs to win the starting job for the 49ers this year and put some good film out there. And if he doesn't, his best move may be to agitate for a trade before the season starts, maybe somewhere that has an injury to a QB, so he can start convincing another coaching staff he could be their QBOTF. 

Darnold however is in a very different position. The funny thing for a player like Darnold - much like Trubisky a couple of years ago - is that barely seeing the field this season may not be a bad thing for him. He's played a lot in his short career already and what he needs is to distance himself from that bad film. Being the backup that only sees spot duty, if any playing time at all, but getting to learn under a well respected coach could be sufficient for him to earn a job competing to be the starter next year. 

If he does play, then the pressure will be on to show he has improved to convince teams next year he is ready to lead a franchise again. Seeing extensive playing time this year and falling flat with his third straight team, this time under Shanahan, would likely spell the end of any hopes he has of being a long term starter anywhere. Conversely, playing well for the 49ers would be a certain ticket to a starting job and nice pay day somewhere next year. 

For Brock Purdy, his test will come once the season starts. In all likelihood he will be given the opportunity to lose the starting job, rather than having to win it. At that point it becomes a pretty simple equation for Brock - play well and stay healthy and the 49ers QB job is yours for the forseeable future.