49ers QB Brock Purdy has successful elbow repair, avoids Tommy John surgery

Forty days later, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy underwent surgery Friday morning on the elbow ligament that was torn in their NFC Championship Game loss at Philadelphia.

Purdy’s ulnar collateral ligament was repaired with an internal brace by Dr. Keith Meister in the Dallas area, and the “successful” surgery should allow Purdy to “start a throwing progression program in three months,” the 49ers announced.

Early indications are that Purdy’s procedure went along the best-case-scenario path and he is “doing great,” according to a source close to him.

Such a recovery path could put Purdy on a six-month timeline for full clearance to practice and play, which coincides with the start of the 49ers’ regular season in early September.

While he avoided a so-called Tommy John surgery for a full reconstruction, Purdy won’t be throwing in the offseason program that begins next month. Trey Lance figures to serve as the 49ers’ first-string quarterback, as was the case a year ago.

But with a Purdy comeback still in play for this season, the 49ers shouldn’t be compelled to pursue a high-priced veteran option but rather an affordable, experienced quarterback when free agency opens next week.

Purdy, 23, hoped to follow the elbow-surgery lead of former 49er Nick Mullens, who became the first NFL quarterback known to have a torn UCL repaired with an internal brace. Mullens underwent that procedure in the second-to-last game of the 2020 season, and he was healthy enough to participate in 2021 training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mullens told this newspaper organization last month he hoped Purdy’s recovery “turns out the same” as his, in which Mullens began throwing after three months and participated in training camp. Purdy might be a month or two behind that path considering his surgery was delayed two weeks because of lingering inflamation.

All that falls in line with the recovery timeline as portrayed in a December 2022 article co-authored Dr. Kevin Wilk, who Mullens worked with in his 2021 physical therapy in Alabama. The first phase of recovery has the elbow braced at a 90-degree angle before it’s eventually eased and the external support brace is shed by May, in Purdy’s probable case, followed by mobility and strength training, then throwing of a lightweight ball with a throwing program underway by mid-June and a gradual return to competitive throwing in September.

Purdy revealed last month that he might undergo a “hybrid” procedure that includes the internal brace with a reconstructive element. A complete reconstruction of the UCL, also known as Tommy John surgery, also was an option, albeit the least desired when it came to a recovery time that wouldn’t get Purdy back on the field until 2024.

On Jan. 29, Purdy’s right, throwing elbow was walloped by Eagles pass rusher Hasson Reddick, six snaps into the 49ers’ opening possession as they tried responding to a 7-0 deficit. Reddick shed a block by tight end Tyler Kroft and attacked Purdy, who’d taken a seven-step drop at midfield and waited a split second too long for Brandon Aiyuk to break free downfield.

When Reddick’s arm struck Purdy’s, the ball fluttered out for a fumble, and Purdy retreated to the sideline to painfully test his wounded wing. Once his replacement, Josh Johnson, exited with a concussion on the fifth snap after halftime, the 49ers had no passing threat, though Purdy did try and complete two passes, but for just 3 and 1 yards in their otherwise run-run-run comeback bid.

Purdy had delivered wins in eight straight games since Jimmy Garoppolo broke his left foot, early in a Dec. 4 victory against Miami. That coming-out party by Purdy, the draft’s 262nd and final pick, made him an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist.

Purdy completed 66.5 percent of his passes as a rookie (155-of-233, 1943 yards, 16 touchdowns, four interceptions), including the playoffs, which opened with home wins over Seattle and Dallas. His only fumble was the one on his fateful final play.

Ahead of the NFL free agency opening next Monday (negotiations) and Wednesday (first day contract and trades can be ratified), the only other quarterback on the 49ers’ roster is Lance, their 2021 first-round pick who is coming back from two surgeries on his right ankle, which he fractured in last season’s home opener.

The 49ers are expected to pursue a veteran in free agency next week, with negotiations able to commence Monday before deals can be consummated Wednesday. In next month’s draft, the 49ers have 11 picks, starting with a trio at the end of the third round.

Can you believe this!
Two QBs with the same team sustaining this unusual injury! @NickMullens in 2020 & now @brockpurdy13 in 2023… Nick rehabbed with me & worked really hard to get back to 100%… I’m sure Brock will too… #49ers #nfl #UCL #rehab pic.twitter.com/NwQIqjzEbI

— Kevin Wilk (@KevinWilkDPT) January 31, 2023