Brock Purdy's toe pain returns as 49ers cram for Thursday game at Rams

Cam Inman, The Mercury News on Sep 29, 2025

Published in Football

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy has a sore toe, again.

After missing the prior two games, Purdy aggravated his right big toe injury in Sunday’s 26-21 home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, calling into question his availability for Thursday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams.

“Anytime guys are sore and hurting on a Monday, you usually don’t stress too much about it, but anytime you have a Thursday game, it’s a totally different element,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday morning on a conference call with reporters.

“Yeah, I’m concerned with anybody who’s not totally healthy,” Shanahan added. “We’ll have to get more information on that later to really have a clue to speculate.”

Purdy was limited in practice the past two weeks but cleared off the injury report Friday. His return went awry with a bevy of high throws and multiple drops by his targets (22 of 38). He passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns, but he had three turnovers, including two interceptions before a strip-sack fumble on the 49ers’ final snap from midfield with 2:47 remaining.

“He didn’t indicate (soreness) to me at all during the game,” Shanahan said. “I talked to him on the phone last night and he said it was starting to bother him. But nothing during the game at all.”

Immediately after the game, Purdy told reporters he “felt good. I thought I was able to go out and play quarterback and give our team a chance.”

Indeed, he did. But the 49ers (3-1) committed a slew of mistakes on offense, defense and special teams against the Jaguars.

Shanahan did not point to Purdy’s mechanics as a glaring issue.

“Yes, he had some inaccurate passes, which guys do in games. Is that attributed to the toe? I don’t know. I’ll ask him later and I’m sure you will too,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you miss a throw, we point out mechanics on every play. So mechanics go in and out. Sometimes that can be overcompensating for an injury. Sometimes that’s just how you set your body moving in the pocket.”

If Purdy is unable to play Thursday against the Rams (3-1), Mac Jones likely would start, as he did in wins at New Orleans and the Sept. 21 home opener against Arizona, although Jones aggravated a knee injury in that second win.

Notes

— Shanahan again downplayed a postgame shouting match between Jaguars counterpart Liam Coen and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who created a buzz Thursday by volunteering how adept the Jaguars’ staff — as well as the Vikings’ and the Rams’ — are at legally stealing defensive signals. Coen charged toward Saleh and told him to “keep my name out of your (expletive) mouth,” and Saleh volleyed back with a verbal threat, according to ESPN.

Said Shanahan: “Guys are competitive, especially after games. I don’t think it’s a big deal at all.”

— Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will be examined later on what’s believed to be a minor injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

“Obviously, a huge concern with the Thursday night game and stuff,” Shanahan said. “We’re not expecting it to be too bad, but we’ve got to find out later today.”

While Pearsall recovers, Jauan Jennings is coping with a rib injury from his two-point conversion catch. Meanwhile, fellow receiver Demarcus Robinson made his 49ers debut Sunday after serving a three-game suspension.

“We’re going into our fifth week and we haven’t had one week of practice with our three guys,” Shanahan said. “So, hopefully we can get some consistency with those guys.”

— Cornerback Renardo Green’s neck injury, which kept him out of Sunday’s game, will be evaluated for a potential return Thursday. Shanahan said Darrell Luter Jr. “did a solid job” in place of Green, and although he drew a penalty, he also impressed with third-and-1 defense.

— Although Shanahan begrudgingly understood a pass-interference penalty that nullified an Upton Stout interception, the coach thought two illegal blocks could have been called on the Jaguars’ 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

— The 49ers’ rushing attack ranks 31st in the NFL at 3.3 yards per carry.

“We have to break a big one and that entails everyone,” Shanahan said of the rushing woes. “That includes the play calls, guys blocking on the perimeter, guys blocking on the inside, and it includes our runners creating.”

— The 49ers, as usual on a short week, will have walk-through practice late Tuesday afternoon and will do nothing at full speed all week leading into their visit to SoFi Stadium.

— Safety Malik Mustapha could be cleared to resume practicing in Week 6, Shanahan said. Mustapha is on the Physically Unable to Perform list and eligible to come off it this week, as is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, whose timetable for a comeback is yet to be announced.

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