Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesSan Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan may have held his breath when defensive end Clelin Ferrell nearly struck quarterback Brock Purdy's throwing arm in practice, but the second-year signal-caller wasn't sweating it.
"I feel like as a coach, a teammate watching, yeah, they might be scared about that, especially how things ended last year with my arm," Purdy told reporters Friday. "But, honestly for myself, it's just football. I wasn't even thinking about it. He hit the ball out of my hand and I was going through to finish the throw and the ball ended up being on the ground. It's football, you know?
"And so, was I mad at Clelin or anything like that? I told him, 'Dude, it's football. I get it. We're in a competing environment. Things happen.' But for myself, was I scared about it? Was I timid after that? No."
Purdy is returning from a torn UCL in his throwing elbow that cost him the entirety of the 49ers' offseason program. He was cleared to throw without restrictions late last month and has been the clear-cut starter despite the presence of 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance.
While quarterbacks always wear non-contact jerseys in practice, Ferrell nearly made contact with Purdy's throwing arm when reaching up to bat a ball out of the quarterback's hand in practice.
Shanahan addressed the situation after practice, saying he talked with Ferrell but understood the play was "human nature" as a football player.
"I had hold my breath so I didn't lose my mind," Shanahan said. "I could see he was alright but, it's human nature. The only way you can finish a sack is if you run, run and reach. And those guys do it and that's why we have to get on them all the time not to do it, because it's human nature."
Purdy was originally injured on a similar play, which saw Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick come off the edge and make contact with Purdy's arm in the 2023 NFC Championship Game. The play resulted in Purdy tearing his UCL and ultimately was the biggest cause of the 49ers failing to reach the Super Bowl.
Purdy was a revelation after replacing an injured Jimmy Garoppolo last season, throwing for 1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns against four interceptions in the regular season. The 49ers won each of Purdy's seven starts when he was healthy, leading to the 2022 seventh-round pick usurping Lance as the face of the franchise.
Given the 49ers' Super Bowl aspirations this season and their unfortunate history of injuries in recent years, it's completely fair for Shanahan to want his defense treating Purdy with kid gloves. That said, it's promising as he prepares for actual game action that Purdy is fine with the occasional hit.
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