Kyle Shanahan offers clarity on what Brock Purdy must do to return for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have been operating without quarterback Brock Purdy for most of the 2025 season, and there's still no firm date on when he'll be back on the field.

Purdy is navigating a toe injury that may linger all season according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. However, Shanahan on Monday did offer some insight into what the team is looking for before bringing Purdy back into the starting lineup.

“Yeah, that's kind of what we want to see it, want to hear it from him, want three aggressive practices and want to make sure he feels good after all of them each day too," Shanahan said.

While Purdy has been practicing the last few weeks, he's been strictly following a regimen of limited practice participations in an effort to not re-aggravate the toe injury which originally occurred in Week 1 and flared up again during his Week 4 return.

The club has been adamant Purdy is getting better and nearing a return, but his absences from the last two games despite being listed as questionable entering the contest brings up questions about whether Purdy will be ready at all this season. It also brings up questions about whether the team actually wants Purdy to come back and unseat Mac Jones as the starting QB.

Until Purdy is back at the helm, the questions about his status are going to linger. The good news with this update from Shanahan is that we'll get a better idea of Purdy's availability after one or practice. If he's limited Wednesday, it would be a sign he's not going to suit up Sunday. If he's a full go, all eyes will be on Thursday to see if he's able to get a full practice without aggravating the injury for the following day.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: How 49ers QB Brock Purdy can return from his toe injury