Why Trent Williams wasn't overly emotional about Brock Purdy return

San Francisco 49ers All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams was happy to see Brock Purdy back at practice but also didn't throw a party in honor of the young quarterback. 

"No emotions. It’s football," Williams told reporters about the situation, as shared by Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area. "We’re all happy to see him back, and we’re happy the surgery was successful. He’s 100 percent. More so than a teammate, he’s a family member to us, so his health is always first [priority.] Everybody is excited whenever we get anybody back from injury." 

San Francisco cleared Purdy to participate in training-camp practices earlier this week coming off his March surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and the 23-year-old served as the 49ers' first-string quarterback on Thursday. While it's widely expected a healthy Purdy will start the regular-season opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10, he confirmed he hasn't yet discussed such plans with head coach Kyle Shanahan at this stage of his recovery. 

Purdy also noted he "worked up to this point where my arm doesn’t hurt" during and after throwing sessions. Williams indicated that the signal-caller looked on Thursday like the same man who became a 2022 rookie sensation en route to guiding the 49ers to seven straight wins, including the playoffs, before he suffered what could've become a devastating setback. 

"He seems like Brock," Williams added. "Brock is rock-solid mentally. He doesn’t get flustered very easily. He took the whole process like a champ. If he was going through anything, I couldn’t tell."

The 49ers understandably have Purdy on a "pitch count" heading into the final weekend of July, but have plenty of time to clear him before the club's preseason matchup at the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 13. If he doesn't play in that game, he could feature in exhibition contests against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 19 and/or the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 25.