How much will 49ers play Brock Purdy this preseason???

The San Francisco 49ers enter the weekend with their first of three preseason games, a Saturday matchup out in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans.

A year ago, quarterback Brock Purdy did not see any action in the preseason opener. He awaited the second game to take the field, which could have been influenced by the fact he was coming off offseason elbow surgery and was slowly ramping up to the regular season.

That could easily be the same approach this year for head coach Kyle Shanahan, as far as exhibition playing time for his quarterback, who looks to return to the NFC Championship game as well as the Super Bowl.

In 2023, the first of two preseason games saw Purdy throw for 65 yards while completing four of his five passes. He also had one carry for 8 yards. Purdy delivered a 73-yard performance in the third and final preseason contest last year. He completed five of his nine passes and ran in a 5-yard score.

The third-year pro is already cemented as San Francisco’s starting quarterback. Last season, Purdy led the league with a 72.8 quarterback rating. Furthermore, his 31 touchdowns were third-best in the NFL to compliment his 4,,280 yards which ranked fifth best overall.

Putting it bluntly, there isn’t much for him to work on this preseason..

Based on Shanahan’s recent comments about preseason preparation, it doesn’t sound as if Purdy and the bulk of starters will take the field in Tennessee.

“We don’t plan on many of the starters to play,” Shanahan told reporters.

While the head coach didn’t specifically mention anyone, aside from pointing out injured running back Christian McCaffrey, one can probably deduce Purdy won’t play on Saturday and could be held back for most (if not all) of the preseason.