Nick Bosa won’t be in the building when the San Francisco 49ers officially begin training camp later this week, as the star defender is still awaiting a contract extension. But the rest of the 49ers should be able to participate in camp, as San Francisco is one of the healthiest clubs in the NFL at this point in the summer. What injury questions will the 49ers need to monitor over the next several weeks?
San Francisco 49ers Injury Update
QB Brock Purdy
The news surrounding quarterback Brock Purdy has essentially been nothing but positive since he underwent surgery in March to repair the torn UCL he suffered in the NFC Championship Game. Purdy began throwing without pain in late May, then started throwing thrice weekly by the first week of June.
On Tuesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Purdy is “cleared and ready to go” and should be able to participate in training camp “without restrictions.” However, San Francisco will integrate Purdy’s ongoing throwing program into their camp schedule.
As such, Purdy “won’t ever throw three days in a row,” Shanahan said. For example, Purdy will not throw on Wednesday but should be available on Thursday of this week. The 49ers hope he’ll be able to throw three days in a row within several weeks.
San Francisco’s expectation has always been that Purdy would be available for Week 1 of the regular season, and there’s no sense that the timeline has changed. Purdy avoided the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, meaning he’ll be free to practice with his team as his injury allows.
When Purdy rests, Sam Darnold and Trey Lance will handle the QB reps for the 49ers. Appearing on The Pat McAfee show in mid-June, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Darnold — who inked a one-year, $4 million contract — likely “has the edge” to be San Francisco’s No. 2 quarterback this season.
CB Darrell Luter Jr.
The 49ers only have one player on the PUP list as camp begins: fifth-round rookie cornerback Darrell Luter Jr.
On Tuesday, general manager John Lynch indicated that Luter suffered a hyperextended knee and bone bruise during OTAs that will keep him out for a few weeks. In the event that Luter sticks on the PUP list into the regular season, he’d be required to miss the first four games of the year.
San Francisco is relatively thin on cornerback depth behind its starting trio of Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, and Isaiah Oliver, so Luter could be in line for playing time in the event of an injury. However, his own injury threatens to delay his learning curve as camp begins.
P Mitch Wishnowsky
Punters are people, too, which means they also get injured. Lynch said Mitch Wishnowsky injured his back while lifting his weights away from the team facility, but he doesn’t expect the veteran punter to be sidelined for long. Wishnowsky is the only punter on the 49ers’ roster, but Lynch said the team won’t add another specialist for camp.
Because Wishnowsky was injured while working out on his own, he’s a candidate for the non-football injury (NFI) list. If he’s placed on NFI, Wishnowsky can still be removed at any time.
