Brock Purdy

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Brock Purdy (elbow) will not start in Week 18 against the Cardinals.

Josh Dobbs will start and Brandon Allen will serve as his backup. Purdy suffered the right elbow injury late in Week 17 against the Lions and did not return. Though there hasn’t been any indication that it’s a major issue, the 49ers have nothing to play for in Week 18, giving them no reason to throw Purdy out there. His season ends with 3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 picks. He also rushed for 323 yards and five scores. Purdy had a reputation as a button-pusher heading into 2024. He excelled within the Kyle Shanahan system, but his ability to create out of structure was modest at best. With injuries to all of his major pass-catchers plus an offensive line that took a step back, Purdy made the most of a bad situation more often than not. That, however, wasn’t always the case. Purdy gave up awful interceptions in the fourth quarter of his final three games, all of which were losses. He will need to clean up the mistakes heading into 2025, but a few bad throws shouldn’t prevent the 49ers from committing to him long-term. He is due for an extension in the offseason and should get it sooner rather than later.