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Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It’s not even five minutes into the San Francisco 49ers‘ second preseason game and quarterback Brock Purdy is visibly upset.
Facing a third-and-8 at San Francisco’s 41, Purdy has just taken a shotgun snap, scanned the field and rolled to his right looking to throw to second-year tight end Brayden Willis. As Purdy runs and waits, Willis never works his way back toward the ball, eventually leaving Purdy to step out of bounds for a loss of 2 yards.
It’s a harmless play in a meaningless game, but Purdy doesn’t see it that way. Right after stepping out of bounds, Purdy takes three steps and gestures at Willis with clear instructions on what he did wrong.
Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that among the many things Purdy was able to strengthen during his first full and healthy offseason, it’s his voice that rings out the most.
“Brock’s a reserved guy, which … the team appreciates about him,” quarterbacks coach Brian Griese said. “But then there’s also times where you need to push the issue a little bit. You need to be accountable to yourself, but also hold others accountable during the course of an individual period. A practice, a game, a low point in the season where you lose back-to-back games. I mean, that’s a skill that you need as a leader of a team. And for a young quarterback, sometimes that’s difficult.”
That’s why, when Griese assessed areas he’d like for Purdy to improve in the offseason, it was an intangible that sat at the top of the list.
As a former NFL starter himself, Griese believes the starting quarterback needs to be a prominent voice in the moments that matter most. At the start of the offseason program, Griese challenged Purdy to take on a larger — and louder — role.
Never has that been more important than it is right now for a 49ers team that is without injured running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles tendinitis) and receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (strained calf) for at least the next couple of weeks — starting with the Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
For any outside observers who believe Purdy is largely propped up by the talent surrounding him, the upcoming stretch without his two most versatile targets should offer ample opportunity to provide evidence to the contrary.
If that’s going to happen, whatever shy qualities Purdy brought with him to San Francisco in 2022 will have to be permanently cast aside.
“When I first came in the NFL, as a rookie and even last year coming off the surgery, there’s a little timidness,” Purdy said. “But now it’s like, I feel good with the guys, with the language of the offense. I can see it in my mind quicker when coach calls a play. It’s a lot more smooth for me and I love that, but I still have to find that edge every day of, alright, I have to find ways to be uncomfortable and still walk in the huddle, command it, break it, and not just think that the game’s easy, because it’s not. It’s never going to be easy. I have to continue to push myself in that way.”
As the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Purdy had every reason to be seen and not heard for most of his rookie season. That, of course, changed dramatically when he took over as starter in December following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Teammates recall seeing Purdy assert himself in small doses as a rookie. He caught the attention of the linebacker group during a walkthrough when he chided a young wideout for not tracking down a deep pass.
In between his first and second season, Purdy knew he was the starter but he missed most of the valuable reps in the offseason program as he recovered from surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
When Purdy returned for training camp, there were enough signs of an increased comfort level for teammates to take notice. If someone ran the wrong route in practice, Purdy would quickly let them know about it.
Then Purdy was voted a captain for the first time. His performance on the field — he led the NFL in QBR (72.7), set a franchise record for passing yards in a season (4,280) and became the first 49ers quarterback to throw at least 30 touchdowns (31) since 2001 — did most of the heavy lifting, allowing Purdy to earn the right to be more vocal in an authentic and organic way.
“I just think when you’ve done what you’ve done on the field, it’s always easier,” Shanahan said. “I don’t care how you are, no matter what type of leader or how you want to command or demand things from people, if you haven’t had much success on the field, that doesn’t last very long … The team, based off of what he’s done, he’s earned their respect on the field, and they know him as a guy inside and out and no one respects anyone more as a person than how much they respect Brock.”
During this offseason, much was made of the physical benefits Purdy would get from a full offseason to work out. Those were real, for he added enough bulk for teammates and coaches to joke about his “Baby Bosa” legs and his passes had a bit more zip. For the first time in his young career, Purdy didn’t have draft prep or elbow surgery and rehab hindering his plans.
Purdy was front and center at the start of the offseason program in April and leading the way during organized team activities, minicamp and all of training camp. During one camp practice, Purdy and tight end George Kittle missed connection on a route and Purdy pulled the All-Pro tight end aside for a 10-minute conversation.
“When he speaks, guys listen,” Kittle said. “And that’s what you want from your quarterback. You want him to be the leader and none of it’s fake either. He’s earned it and he’s worked through it and now he has his voice.”
Such conversations are increasingly common. Purdy is quick to offer critiques when a teammate needs to move faster on a motion, get to a landmark in fewer strides or work back to the ball on a play that goes off script.
That’s not only a product of Purdy finally getting all those offseason reps but also because of his deep knowledge of Shanahan’s offense. The head coach even seeks out Purdy’s opinions on things he likes or dislikes in the offense and Purdy is happy to provide feedback.
“I think the confidence in his knowledge of the playbook and being able to speak on that has really elevated,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “He has an incredible understanding now of the playbook… And that’s not an easy thing to do.”
Two weeks into the season, Purdy’s leadership is already being put to the test. McCaffrey and Samuel are the ideal safety nets and also team captains. McCaffrey’s steady, do it all ability and Samuel’s fiery, hard-charging style normally help set the tone in San Francisco.
Without them, the onus falls on Kittle, Trent Williams, Juszczyk and, yes, Purdy to pick up the slack. It’s not the scenario any of them hoped for but it’s also one Purdy and the Niners are better equipped to handle in no small part because of Purdy’s comfort in leading from the front.
“We have a job that we’ve got to do,” Purdy said. “There’s a standard that we’ve got to play with and play at. And so, I’m able to talk to guys and because I have a real relationship with them, it’s not just all business. We get out there and we want to play ball and win, but I care for these guys. They care for me. With that, I’m able to sort of speak up a little bit more now.”