Purdy to attend start of offseason program
SANTA CLARA >> Brock Purdy may not be throwing yet but he won’t be avoiding the 49ers’ offseason program.
Purdy, in interviews with ProFootballTalk.com and The Athletic on Friday, said he’ll be leaving his Arizonabased elbow rehabilitation for the 49ers’ Santa Clara facility, where their offseason program opens Monday.
“Just being back around the guys, continue my rehab and get after the playbook,” Purdy told The Athletic. “So it will be simple in that regard.”
Purdy made the interview rounds as a Buffalo Wild Wings pitchman, a month after having his right elbow repaired.
“For me, it’s slowly getting better — a little bit every single day,” Purdy told ProFootballTalk.com. “Everything is going as planned. We’re on the same page just in terms of the Niners, (Dr. Keith) Meister and my physical therapist out here.
“Everyone’s on the same page, and everything’s going as planned. Very thankful for that. Just staying one day at a time from here.”
While Purdy works on regaining his strength and range of motion, he will also be present for key offseason meetings with coach Kyle Shanahan, quarterbacks coach Brian Griese and new passgame specialist Klint Kubiak.
Purdy had an internal brace procedure March 10 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament that was torn in the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game loss at Philadelphia on Jan. 29.
Purdy, reiterating much of what he said two weeks ago to a Phoenix radio station, did expand Friday on what a relief it was to avoid a full reconstruction that could have sidelined him into 2024. The brace procedure has him on track to throw in June and possibly gain full clearance in September or early October, as Shanahan echoed earlier this month at the NFL’s annual meeting.
“Yeah, I think it was great news,” Purdy said of his surgery. “Obviously, you look at the recovery time of that one versus the reconstruction. But it’s all God’s plan, and I trust that everything happens for a reason. So for it to be the repair with the internal brace was great news, and now we’re just taking it one day at a time.”
HYDER RETURNS TO THE RED AND GOLD >> In a move to bolster defensive line depth, the 49ers are resigning Kerry Hyder Jr., according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Terms are unknown, and the 49ers are expected to confirm Hyder’s return when the offseason program opens Monday.
After Hyder led the 49ers with 8 1/2 sacks in their injury-marred 2020 season, he defected to the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 to tally just 1 1/2 sacks. Last season, the 49ers tapped into Hyder’s versatility to help fill in on their injurydepleted interior.