SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy is cleared to resume throwing today at 49ers practice, having been shut down last Thursday with shoulder soreness and now lending hope he could play in Sunday night’s game at Buffalo.
The 49ers (5-6) were overwhelmed 38-10 Sunday by the host Green Bay Packers, with Brandon Allen starting in place of Purdy, who had not previously missed a start because of injury through nearly two years in that QB1 role.
A week ago, Purdy did not throw in Wednesday’s practice because of shoulder pain that arose during the 49ers’ Nov. 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. After some light throwing Thursday, he left practice to undergo treatment, and that continued through the weekend as he traveled with the 49ers for their 3-day stay in Wisconsin. On Monday, Purdy reported no pain as he resumed throwing on the side, coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Purdy remains limited, and coach Kyle Shanahan said “we’ll see” regarding what Wednesday’s workload will entail.
Purdy’s status still must be evaluated through this week’s practices, and with so many other 49ers battling injuries, the Bills (9-3) are having to do extra preparation for the 49ers’ contingency plans.
“There’s some moving targets, right, with who we’re expecting to play,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told Buffalo-area reporters Wednesday. “We have to prepare for them to be as healthy as they’ve ever been, just because we don’t know. … It makes it a little tougher and you spend a little more time with the prep.”
Although McDermott and Shanahan faced off as NFC South coordinators a decade ago, McDermott has yet to face Purdy. “I have a lot of respect for his game, how he plays, the way he handles himself with his faith and everything,” McDermott added. “With what he’s done for their team, he has those traits you admire.”
For the second straight week, the 49ers will not make their starting quarterback available until Friday, whether that is Purdy or Allen; there is no media access on Thursday.
HEALTH CENTER
Defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique, hip) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) remain out of practice. Also not practicing were running back Christian McCaffrey (rest), cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee), left guard Aaron Banks (concussion), defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (concussion), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee).
McCaffrey is three games into his season and Shanahan called it “unfair” to criticize McCaffrey for not playing in MVP-type form after missing so much time.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw will practice for the first time since Febuary’s Achilles tear in the Super Bowl. The 49ers have three weeks to evaluate whether to activate him off Injured Reserve. Greenlaw is to be limited, as are right guard Dominick Puni (shoulder) and defensive Kevin Givens (groin).
BUFFALO INJURIES
Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) did not practice for the Bills while limited were wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist) and right tackle Spencer Brown (ankle). Linebacker Matt Milano could come off Injured Reserve and make his season debut Sunday; defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and left tackle Tylan Grable had their IR evaluation windows opened Wednesday.
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OFFENSIVE LINE HELP
With Banks in the concussion protocol and Puni dealing with a shoulder injury, the 49ers made room on their practice squad for offensive lineman Cameron Erving, a versatile veteran who was released from the Houston Texans’ practice squad last week. Erving (6-foot-5, 313 pounds) has played 98 games over stints with the Cleveland Browns (2015-16), Kansas City Chiefs (2017-19), Dallas Cowboys (2020), Carolina Panthers (2021-22), New Orleans Saints (2023) and Texans (2024).
BYE-WEEK BOUNCE
The Bills (9-2) won six in a row before their Week 12 bye. They’ve won coming off their bye for nine consecutive seasons, including home returns between 2017-22; they won 20-17 at Kansas City in a Week 13 affair last year.
“I don’t have an exact formula. It’s about us getting back to what we do, getting back to the basics,” said McDermott, who’s in his eighth season, like Shanahan.
The Bills are the 49ers’ fourth opponent this season who are coming off their bye week. Previously, the Chiefs won in Week 7 (28-18 at Levi’s Stadium), the Cowboys lost in Week 8 (30-24 at Levi’s Stadium), and the Seahawks won in Week 11 (20-17 at Levi’s Stadium).