Speaking with media at the NFL scouting combine last week, 49ers general manager John Lynch said quarterback Brock Purdy would meet with Dr. Keith Meister later in the week. The hope for San Francisco was to hear that inflammation around the UCL in Purdy’s throwing elbow had improved.
According to Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, Purdy will be undergoing surgery in Dallas on Friday.
Purdy was initially set to have surgery on February 22, however Dr. Meister chose to postpone the surgery due to swelling and stiffness.
“We want the best outcome. And that’s where Dr. Meister made a really tough decision and we’re very appreciative,“ said Lynch last Tuesday. “He’s done thousands of these surgeries and when you have all the swelling out, when you have all the stiffness out, is when he’s had the best success with the outcomes. And so, we’re very thankful and we’re hopeful that when they meet down in Arizona this week they can move forward and then it would be early next week as to when they would go in there and have the surgery.”
The hope for San Francisco and Purdy is Dr. Meister will be able to repair the UCL with an internal brace, however the exact procedure won’t be known until the doctor opens up the arm. If the damage is more severe than anticipated, Purdy would need to undergo a hybrid procedure.
Placement of an internal brace is the least invasive procedure possible. The general timeline to return would have Purdy throwing after three months and be fully ready around week one of the regular season. If Purdy needs the hybrid procedure his timeline to return could become nine months to a year.
For San Francisco, gaining clarity on Purdy’s availability is a necessity.
The 49ers are currently without a healthy quarterback. Trey Lance is working to return from a broken ankle which sidelined him for all but five quarters in 2022, and Jimmy Garoppolo is set to be a free agent.
Lynch talked about the need for the Niners to insulate themselves with a veteran quarterback. When Purdy is expected to return is likely to have an impact on which veteran the team choses to bring in.
Thanks for the update, Jack.
Purdy made a decision to have the Internal Brace surgery based on a less invasive procedure. Obviously the faster recovery time (4-6 months) may have had to play in Purdy’s decision.
From what I understand, the IB procedure is fairly new compared to the more traditional elbow surgery, which can take a year or more for recovery.
Do you or anyone here know which procedure has been proven more successful upon the athletes return to action?
Thanks, AES.
There aren’t very many instances of NFL QB’s having this injury, so the timetables are a bit unknown. Nick Mullens had the internal brace procedure for the UCL injury he suffered against Dallas in 2020. He was cleared after 5 months. Jake Delhomme had Tommy John and was cleared after 7 months.
AES / Jack
* “Purdy made a decision to have the Internal Brace surgery based on a less invasive procedure.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the decision of which surgery will be done is not Purdy’s. It will be decided once Dr. Keith Meister has made the cut and can see how much damage has been done? (IE an internal brace surgery, or a complete Tommy John reconstruction).
Thanks Jack,
The time of recovery is more accelerated than the older elbow (Tommy John) procedure, but I’m trying to find out if the player can still perform to the same or higher level than pre-surgery. Maybe, the fact that Mullins is still in the league some years after his IB procedure is a good sign.
Different topic…
Jack, will you be doing your own (personal player favorites) mock anytime soon? It would be nice to see your take on potential draft picks.
AES,
Next week opens up the FA signing period, after that there will be more clarity on the draft. So far they haven’t renegotiated any contracts so as of now they really have no room to sign any big FAs and little room to sign any minor FAs. What they do with contracts this week will tell us what they plan to do. I would like to see them open up about 35 mill in cap space and make one major signing (DT or OT) and a number of smaller one year signings. The next two to three weeks should be very busy.
Highly unlikely they spend big on either a DT or a OT unless it’s for McGlinchey. As for DT they will need rotational depth as always and that ads up. If there’s a chance for a decent edge rusher I could see them spending big.
Felix,
I tend to agree with you on McG. But I doubt that they will fork out the kind of money that McGlinchey will ask for. A, FA Olineman might want just a little less then McG, but he might not be at the same level.
There are some good Olineman in the draft that the 49ers are likely targeting, but McGlinchey’s replacement may already be on the team.
I agree. The odds on McGlinchey are long.
Free agency is up next, so focus is there. Will definitely have a mock draft or two, maybe three, coming up.
Felix,
I believe the difference between signing a major FA at DE or DT comes down to who do you have more faith in Drake Jackson or Kalia Davis?
Per “The Rich Eisen Show”
Reported that Phillip Rivers reached out to the 49ers and the Dolphins.
Rivers retired in 2020, and apparently misses the game.
The Dolphins almost run an identical offense as the 49ers. So contacting them makes sense.
What QB wouldn’t want to be in a Shanahan type offense?
This team is only one great QB away from winning a Superbowl. Who will that QB be?
I doubt that Rivers is the answer.