Quarterback Brock Purdy returned to the SAP Performance Facility on Tuesday afternoon fully cleared of practice restrictions following his offseason elbow surgery. The procedure was to repair the injury sustained to his UCL in the NFC Championship Game, effectively ending his 2022 campaign.
Purdy was cleared for live-action ahead of the start of training camp but had been operating on a pitch count up until this point in the summer. He's now been given the green light to practice three days in a row heading into the 49ers preseason matchup versus the Denver Broncos. The second-year QB connected on 15-of-19 pass attempts with the first-team offense during the team's various 11-on-11 drills. His most impressive throw of the day was a deep shot to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk down the right sideline with cornerback Ambry Thomas in coverage.
Sam Darnold had the first go with the second-team offense and swapped out with Trey Lance in their usual fashion. Brandon Allen was excused from practice for personal reasons.
Cornerback Competition
Isaiah Oliver was one of just a handful of veterans to suit up for the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders and served as the team's starting nickel on Sunday. Oliver was signed during free agency and brought in to compete for the starting nickelback job in 2023. He has logged a majority of the reps at this spot with the first-team defense over the course of camp, and at this point in the preseason, Oliver is one of a few player options that can be utilized at inside corner.
"It's a rolodex of players to be quite honest with you," defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said. "We did some things today where we put D'Shawn Jamison inside, we put Deommodore Lenoir back inside during certain reps. A.J. Parker has been doing a great job inside at nickel as well.
"We're continuing to try and find the mix. We love the competition, and we're trying to make sure guys continue to get better."
Kicker Jake Moody Back in Action
The 49ers rookie kicker had an encouraging bounce back performance to open the team's week of practice, going five-of-six in kick attempts. He successfully went through the uprights from 59, 38, 56, 53 and 43 yards out. His miss was from 61 yards out.
