49ers' Brock Purdy clears concussion protocol, will play vs. Bengals
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is out of concussion protocol with no injury designation for Sunday's matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced on Saturday.
He will start, which is a somewhat unexpected development considering Purdy entered concussion protocol Wednesday. He went under assessment after he began to show symptoms during the flight back to the Bay Area following the team's 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.
He was listed as questionable on the injury report Friday. Kyle Shanahan told reporters he would "definitely" start if he passed evaluations.
The updated game status came after the 23-year-old participated in his second consecutive practice. Purdy skipped official practice Wednesday but was able to be on the field for offense-only work. He then joined the quarterback group for limited participation during Thursday's practice.
The team was given the official all-clear on Purdy Saturday.
Brock Purdy was a full participant in practice today. Kyle Shanahan said if he clears concussion protocol Saturday, he’ll start Sunday vs the Bengals @KPIXtv @49ers #BrockPurdy pic.twitter.com/RKF9QlqKXI
— vernkpix (@vernKPIX) October 27, 2023
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is ruled out for the upcoming game with a shoulder injury but Shanahan expects to see him back on the field in Week 10 following the team's bye week.
“He’s doing good,” Shanahan said of Samuel. “I mean, it’s a little fracture, hairline fracture in his shoulder, so we’ve got to wait for that to heal. But he’s healthy enough everywhere else, so he’s conditioned and working out, doing well, and hopefully that’ll be good after the bye week.”
Left tackle Trent Williams is listed is questionable as he continues to deal with an ankle injury. He did not play against the Vikings.
If Purdy's tests didn't go as planned, it would've ended a streak of 15 consecutive starts (including playoffs). Sam Darnold would've gotten the starting nod. Darnold joined the 49ers this past offseason after a two-year run with the Carolina Panthers. He threw for 1,143 yards last season, recording seven touchdowns and three interceptions in six games. With San Francisco this year, Darnold has only made brief appearances in garbage time.
