The following players did not take part in the San Francisco 49ers’ Tuesday practice:
Ricky Pearsall (knee)
Jordan Watkins (calf)
CJ West (thumb)
Robert Beal (ankle)
Brock Purdy (toe)
Jauan Jennings (ankle/ribs)
These players were limited:
Renardo Green (neck)
Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
Dee Winters (knee)
Mykel Williams (wrist/oblique)
The 49ers are still considering West playing with a cast on his thumb. The team is currently experimenting with ways for West to play.
Kyle Shanahan said none of the players above have been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. He added that Purdy hasn’t made much progress since he last spoke to the media, which was Monday morning.
Mac Jones is not on the injury report if Purdy cannot play. Shanahan was asked whether Purdy playing on a short week comes down to pain tolerance: “No. It’ll come down to do we feel he can play to 100 percent of his ability, and do we feel like if he can protect himself with it.”
Purdy’s toe injury isn’t something that’s potentially recurring, like, say, a high-ankle sprain, per Shanahan. The primary way Purdy would sustain another toe injury is if he got caught in an awkward position on a tackle.
Here’s Brock’s answer when asked how he feels compared to after the Week 1 game: “I feel a lot better, especially compared to Week 1, for sure. Just a little sore from the game. But nowhere near as bad as after Seattle.”
Purdy knew there would be soreness after playing. The quick turnaround is making it more challenging on Purdy to get right. Purdy wasn’t interested in playing the hindsight game when asked if it would have been smarter to give himself another week: “I was ready to go. I felt pretty good. For me to go out and execute an offense and go through reads and throw the ball throughout the week of practice, I felt great. I had a lot of confidence going into the game that I’d be good. That was our decision, and we’re rolling with it.”
Even after watching the film, Purdy couldn’t tell if his missed throws were due to his toe injury. Purdy said he might be able to tell down the line when he’s 100 percent, but as of now, he still doesn’t know.
Does Purdy not practicing on Tuesday mean he’s more doubtful for Thursday’s game? Not necessarily, according to Brock: “Honestly, Thursday night football games, they come quick. Anything can happen. I’m still hopeful that I can. So, we’ll see.”
There’s a train of thought that Purdy should sit out this Thursday and take the ten days to heal. Purdy does not share that same train of thought:
“If I can play this game, I’m gonna play. Obviously, I want to get right and healthy and everything. But we need to win this game against the Rams. That’s how I’m looking at it.”
Purdy said he couldn’t play if the game were on Tuesday, but then he said, “I got two days.” This decision will likely be made up to game day, giving Purdy as much time as he needs to recover/heal.
The playing surface will not play into Purdy’s decision to play. SoFi Stadium uses a hybrid turf system.
