NFC West Check-In: 49ers backup QB expected to start in Week 2

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is “week to week” with a toe injury and backup QB Mac Jones is expected to start on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

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General manager John Lynch told the team’s flagship radio station KNBR on Thursday that the team reached the diagnosis after consulting with team trainers and doctors, along with foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson.

“What we’re dealing with is kind of a week-to-week thing,” Lynch said. “That’s our information. Brock’s doing well, coming back from it. We’ll just treat it as such. He’s doing a nice job, doing everything he can to get back out there as soon as possible. That’s where we’re at.”

NFL Network reported Thursday that Purdy would miss between two and five weeks. Lynch would not confirm that report and only said that the team was pleased with the results of tests on Purdy’s toe.

“Going into the scans and all that, I’ll tell you that the feeling was more on the positive side than what it could have been going in there,” Lynch said. “That was a good thing. We look forward to getting Brock back, but in his stead, we’re confident in Mac and his ability to compete at a high level for us.”

Purdy hurt both his toe and left shoulder in the first half of the opener at Seattle. He stayed in the game and led the game-winning TD drive in a 17-13 win.

Purdy missed two games last season with injuries, sitting out one game with a right shoulder injury and another with a right elbow injury. Those are the only games he has missed because of injuries since taking over as starter late in the 2022 season. He did have a significant injury to his right elbow in the 2022 NFC title game that required surgery but he made it back for the opener the following season.

Jones, the first-round pick by New England in 2021, signed with San Francisco as a free agent in March.

Jones and San Francisco were closely linked leading up to the 2021 draft after the Niners traded three first-round picks to get the No. 3 overall selection. Shanahan was looking to draft a franchise quarterback and was debating between Jones and Trey Lance before San Francisco finally opted for Lance.

The move backfired as Lance struggled to stay healthy and adjust to Shanahan’s system. He made only four starts in two seasons before being traded to Dallas for a fourth-round pick in August 2023, having lost the starting job to Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 draft.

Jones had a strong rookie season in New England but was 4-14 with 16 TD passes, 20 interceptions and a 77.1 passer rating in 18 starts the past two seasons for New England and Jacksonville.

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