John Lynch - Brock Purdy 'earned the right' to start for 49ers

PHOENIX — The San Francisco 49ers aren't yet sure when quarterback Brock Purdy will be back on the field as he recovers from right elbow surgery.

But they do seem to know what role he will fill when it happens: QB1.

In what was easily the strongest endorsement yet for the reigning Mr. Irrelevant, Niners general manager John Lynch made clear Monday at the NFL's annual owners meetings that he and coach Kyle Shanahan view Purdy as being in the driver's seat to be the starter when he is healthy.

«I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse at that,» Lynch said. «I'll let Kyle make those kinds of decisions but I know when we talk, Brock has probably earned that right to be the guy. If we were to line up, he'd probably take that first snap.»

That Purdy is considered the favorite to start is no surprise after he led the 49ers to a 7-1 record after taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 14. Purdy, who was the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, was third in the NFL in QBR (68.8), fifth in completion percentage (68.5) and first in yards per attempt (8.9) after becoming the starter.

Purdy's presumed coronation as San Francisco's starter was thrown in flux when he took a hit from Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher Haason Reddick on the Niners' sixth snap of the NFC Championship Game. Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on the play. After delaying surgery because of continued swelling in the elbow, Purdy had what is known as an InternalBrace repair on the elbow March 10.

The Niners hoped all along that Purdy would be able to have a repair rather than Tommy John reconstruction surgery because it comes with a shorter recovery window, but