Brock Purdy not yet 49ers Week 1 starting QB?

Quarterback Brock Purdy participated in training-camp practice on Thursday but revealed head coach Kyle Shanahan hasn't yet named the 23-year-old the San Francisco 49ers' Week 1 starter. 

"No, we haven't had any conversation like that," Purdy explained, according to Kirk Larrabee of 49ers WebZone. "It's, 'How can I be great today? At practice, let's get these reps, let's get the mental reps, and let's continue to grow.' Obviously what we put on tape last year was great and all, but there's still a lot of areas where I have to grow and get better and stuff. That's just where I'm at. We're not trying to get too far ahead of ourselves."

49ers general manager John Lynch made it known on multiple occasions this spring that Purdy was his "leader in the clubhouse" to serve as San Francisco's starter for the club's regular-season opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. That was well before the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft was cleared to take part in summer practices coming off surgery he underwent on March 10 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. 

Purdy missed out on springtime on-the-field work while recovering after he spent his first NFL training camp buried on the depth chart beneath 2021 first-round draft pick Trey Lance and then-backup Nate Sudfeld. Eventually, Jimmy Garoppolo leapfrogged Purdy for reps by Week 1 last September. 

On Thursday, Purdy practiced as San Francisco's first-string quarterback.

"Compared to last year, I had basically two reps at the end of each period, so I didn't have that many reps, and then I was able to go into preseason and get some reps," Purdy remarked. "But now coming in, being able to get a lot more looks on the defense and sort of take command of the huddle and stuff. Like for me it feels a lot better." 

It was thought earlier this summer Purdy may not be cleared until the second half of August, so logic suggests he should be a spectator when San Francisco begins preseason play at the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 13. He theoretically could, however, take some snaps against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 19.