49ers clear Brock Purdy for training camp — but in what capacity?

SANTA CLARA – Brock is back, or at least he has crossed a key hurdle as 49ers training camp opened Tuesday.

Nearly 20 weeks after surgery to repair his throwing elbow, Purdy received medical clearance and skirted the Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) list.

“Brock’s cleared and ready to go,” general manager John Lynch said. “He’s been cleared. He’s going to be without restrictions. Having said that, we’re sticking and adhering to a plan that’s been put in place for some time.

“He got after it the last couple days and we upped his pitch count,” Lynch added, “so it was kind of the peak of the buildup. There will be some time off, due to pitch count, sticking to the plan. The great news is that Brock has worked his tail off and is ready to go.”

Not ready is defensive end Nick Bosa, who Lynch does not expect at the start of camp while the 49ers negotiate a multi-year extension with Bosa’s agent. Bosa is subject to a daily $40,000 fine as a no-show on his rookie contract’s fifth-year option, according to the collective bargaining agreement.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said the Purdy will take first-team reps when he is practicing, adding: “He won’t go three days in a row.”

Purdy threw on Tuesday, will take Wednesday off, then participate in Thursday and Friday sessions. Shanahan said he quietly feared that Purdy might miss the first two weeks of camp, and the challenge now will be to equally split reps for Trey Lance and Sam Darnold in a presumed backup role, with Brandon Allen getting the remaining snaps.

“He looks like Brock,” Shanahan added. “… I always thought in my mind, just so I wouldn’t be disappointed, it would take a few weeks into camp. But he always looked like he would be ready, because you didn’t see any setbacks.”

Although Purdy was not made available to the media on Day 1 of camp, his teammates described how meaningful it is to have their second-year quarterback already cleared after March 10 elbow surgery.

“That’s awesome. Everybody was fired up to hear that,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “It’s a testament to him. He’s put in so much work. We’ve kind of seen it from outside the building. All he’s done is work.”

Linebacker Fred Warned added: “I’m really not surprised. I’ve seen the way he’s been working. I know the makeup of how he is, since the moment he got here. It only makes sense he’s ahead of schedule.”

Going on PUP would have prevented Purdy from practicing and limited him to individual conditioning on the side amid his rehabilitation efforts. Players can come off the PUP list at any time, or the team can stash them there for the first six weeks of the season if they remain on PUP through the preseason.

Keeping Purdy off PUP signals that (a.) his recovery remains on track to potentially start the Sept. 10 season opener in Pittsburgh, and, (b.) he can resume his role as the starting quarterback, the job that saw him win eight games before his elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game loss in Philadelphia.

“Watching on our own, I thought it’d go that way,” Shanahan said of Purdy’s Day 1 clearance. “But you don’t really say that. You wait to hear it from Brock. To get back and talk to him last week and hear how he felt mentally and being able to see how he is physically, he’s ready to go. So, I’m pumped.”

Purdy’s immediate predecessor, Jimmy Garoppolo, avoided the PUP list when he reported to camps in 2019 and ’21, when he was coming off knee and shoulder surgeries, respectively.

Wednesday marks their first practice of camp, though full-contact drills can’t begin until Sunday.

Swelling from Purdy’s torn ulnar collateral ligament required him to delay surgery until March 10, and Lynch on Tuesday sent a thank-you text to Dr. Keith Meister for exercising such patience in football’s ever-urgent state. Less than 12 weeks after surgery, Purdy began a throwing program with a standard football, essentially at the midway point of his recovery.

Even if Purdy has a setback or needs more time to get fully healthy, the NFL’s short-term injured reserve list affords them that ability to sideline him four games, nearly the time a PUP stint would demand.

The only players expected to open camp on injury lists are punter Mitch Wishnowsky (back, from weight lifting away from the 49ers facility) and rookie cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (hyperextended knee, bone bruise from spring workouts). Wishnowsky’s issue is not serious enough to necessitate a replacement punter, and Luter figures to return in a couple of weeks, Lynch said.

Here is more on Purdy’s medical chart:

Jan. 29: Right elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament is torn when struck by Philadelphia Eagles’ pass rusher Hasson Reddick, six plays into the 49ers’ opening possession (second-and-6 from the 50-year line) of their ensuing 31-7 loss in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field.

Feb. 22: Purdy’s initial date for surgery is postponed, after Dr. Keith Meister’s examination reveals that Purdy’s elbow remains swollen. Over a week later, a follow-up exam takes place in Purdy’s home state of Arizona, where Dr. Meister doubles as the Texas Rangers’ physician at spring training.

March 10: Purdy undergoes surgery in Arlington, Texas, where Dr. Meister uses an InternalBrace repair on the torn UCL. That affords a potential return of six months, as opposed to a Tommy John-type reconstruction that typically sidelines patients for a year.

March 27: General manager John Lynch, speaking to reporters at the annual league meeting, calls Purdy “probably the leader in the clubhouse” for the 49ers’ starting job, saying he’s “earned that right.” Coach Kyle Shanahan cautions the following the day that Purdy might not return until Week 4 of the regular season, depending on how his comeback looks come June.

March 31: Wearing a hinged elbow brace, Purdy tells Fox Sports 910-AM in Phoenix: “Out in public, it looks like I have a robotic arm.” He conducts range-of-motion exercises and strength training with physical therapist Keith Kocher in Gilbert, Arizona.

April 17: Purdy joins 49ers teammates at their Santa Clara headquarters for the start of the offseason program, which mainly consists of meetings and conditioning the first few weeks.

April 21: Purdy draws a loud ovation while attending a San Francisco Giants game, prompting him to not only stand and wave to the crowd, but to also show impressive mobility with his arm while exchanging high-fives with a fan.

May 29: Barely 11 weeks out of surgery, Purdy begins a throwing program, signaling his recovery is perhaps a week ahead of schedule. “We’re incredibly encouraged by that,” Lynch said two days later on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He’s hitting all his marks and that doesn’t surprise us, because he’s putting in all the work.”

May 31: Purdy executes his second throwing session. “I saw him moving around, throwing it a little bit,” wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk said. “I haven’t caught with him. But, yeah, I talked to him and he’s the same old Brock. He’s doing good.”

June 26: Purdy heads to Jacksonville, Fla., to throw under the guidance of private quarterbacks coach Will Hewlett and orthopedic specialist Tom Gormely, who worked with him before last year’s draft in which Purdy famously was the 262nd and final pick.

July 25: The 49ers clear Purdy, presumably after a physical and conditioning test, meaning he can partake in practices and avoid the Physically Unable To Perform List.