49ers' Brock Purdy returning to practice, 'chance' he plays in home opener against Cardinals

Cam Inman, Bay Area News Group on Sep 17, 2025

Published in Football

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy returned to practice Wednesday as the 49ers gauge his availability for Sunday’s home opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

“He does have a chance,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.

There is also a chance Purdy serves as the backup quarterback if the 49ers give Mac Jones a second consecutive start, Shanahan acknowledged.

A toe injury forced Purdy to sit out last week’s sessions and Sunday’s 26-21 win at New Orleans. Jones successfully filled in for Purdy, throwing three touchdown passes and no interceptions while fumbling once in his 49ers debut.

Purdy played through injuries to the big toe on his right foot and to his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the 49ers’ 17-13 season-opening win at Seattle. Purdy watched last Sunday’s win from the sideline, wearing sneakers rather than an orthopedic boot.

Afterward, Purdy was complimentary in an exclusive interview with this news organization when asked about Jones’ performance, and several teammates showered more compliments on Wednesday.

“He was so poised, made some huge throws, played with so much confidence, and just did his job,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “Obviously he made some special plays but overall, just doing your job, playing within the scheme, and making those plays outside of himself was what I saw. I’m fired up he had a great game.”

Added defensive end Nick Bosa: “He was poised. He was excited to start out and was overthrowing a little bit, probably because he was so pumped to be out there. But he settled in and did enough for us to win.”

Tricks ahead for Kyler

Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is 4-4 all time against the 49ers, but he went 1-3 his first two seasons, when the 49ers’ defensive coordinator was Robert Saleh, who’s reprising that role this season.

“Our ‘What It Takes’ meeting is very much about him and what he brings to the table and how we need to rush him and how we need to take care of the QB run game and the run game as a whole,” Bosa said of Murray. “I’m excited about the plan this week. I think Saleh’s been good at it before, so he’s got some good tricks up his sleeve.”

McCaffrey’s 100-yard dash

McCaffrey is seeking his first 100-yard rushing game, even though he’s breached that 100-yard mark in all-purpose yards in both games. In the opener at Seattle, he ran for 69 yards (22 carries) and had 73 yards on nine catches; at New Orleans, he ran for 55 yards (13 carries) and had 52 yards and a touchdown on six catches.

“We’re close, definitely close. A lot of it is just: Can’t get tackled,” McCaffrey said. “That is on me, being able to break those long ones comes from all 11 guys being on point and then me stepping up and hitting those long ones.”

His longest run this season was a 13-yarder at Seattle, while he maxed out at 10 yards in New Orleans.

“We played two defenses that play a lot of two-shell defense which makes it really hard for explosives to happen, because you have two (safeties) sitting there at 11 yards, even if you do get past the first level,” McCaffrey added.