Niners’ Purdy (shoulder) limited again ahead of Packers showdown

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The status of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers remains uncertain after a second straight day of limited participation in practice.

Purdy, who is dealing with soreness in his right (throwing) shoulder, was on the practice field during the early part of Thursday’s session open to reporters. He threw a little lightly in the first few periods before entering the weight room. He did not return to the practice field for the remainder of the time reporters were allowed to observe and then did not hold his usual press conference Thursday afternoon.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan told KNBR Radio in San Francisco that Purdy did indeed move on from Wednesday to Thursday, but made it clear that there are still hurdles to clear for Purdy to play in Green Bay.

“He was still limited today,” Shanahan said Thursday. “He didn’t do that much yesterday, did a little bit more today, but he didn’t do his normal workload by any means. Went out there and did a little bit and went back about halfway and rested the arm up and just continued to get his rehab, hopefully it feels good on Sunday.”

Purdy made his first appearance on the injury report Monday when Shanahan discussed injuries coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Shanahan said at the time that Purdy would be considered day-to-day because of the shoulder injury.

On Wednesday, Shanahan said he wasn’t very concerned “right now” about Purdy sitting out the Packers game, adding, “We’ll see how this week goes.” Shanahan reiterated Thursday that he didn’t think the shoulder was a problem against Seattle, but acknowledged that the soreness was likely a result of the many hits Purdy took against the Seahawks.

Purdy has been dealing with injuries during the week and has gone on to play in games before. In 2022, he played against Seattle on a Thursday night in Week 15 despite not throwing before the game due to a rib and oblique issue.

If Purdy is unable to play against Green Bay, the Niners would likely turn to veteran Brandon Allen as the starter. Allen has started nine regular-season games since entering the league as a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. Three of those starts were for the Denver Broncos in 2019, with the other six for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020 and 2021. He has been with the 49ers since 2023 and has yet to start a game in San Francisco, but has run the scout team against the defense for much of that time.

“I’ve always liked him,” Niners defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said. “I think he did really well last year doing things. He’s been in the league a long time. He’s played in a lot of systems. He’s got a great arm. He’s a good quarterback.”

In addition to Allen, the Niners have Josh Dobbs on the depth chart and rookie Tanner Mordecai is on the practice squad. According to the Niners, one of those quarterbacks will be made available to speak to reporters on Friday, which should provide an indication of Purdy’s progress.

Purdy isn’t the only key nine with a weak injury status ahead of Sunday’s game. Defensive end Nick Bosa (left hip and oblique) and offensive tackle Trent Williams (ankle) again did not participate in practice Thursday. Both players sat out the first two days of practice last week, with Bosa participating Friday and Williams not until both played the Seahawks.

Shanahan told KNBR that this week was expected to play similarly with both.

“(Trent) is in danger as is Nick,” Shanahan said. “And it was the same last week… When it comes to guys like Trent or guys like Nick because of who they are, because of their history and also because of the position they play, they’re guys no matter how this week goes, they’ll have it all the way to kickoff or whenever the latest we can decide that is.”