Brock Purdy is expected to miss time with a left shoulder and left toe injury, with Kyle Shanahan saying the toe is the bigger concern. While he avoided specifics, Shanahan noted it’s “halfway between the side and the bottom,” in reference to the big toe. Purdy injured his toe in the second quarter and still finished the game. Below, we break down how toe injuries impact quarterback mechanics and the expected recovery timelines.
Brock Purdy Toe Injury
Shanahan avoided directly stating what Purdy’s toe injury is, but hinted that the injury is to Purdy’s big toe. Turf toe is an injury to the plantar plate on the bottom of the big toe. Shanahan hinted that the injury is between the side and the bottom of the big toe, making it possible that Purdy has an injury to the collateral ligaments of the toe or the capsule. Functionally, this would be a little better than a typical turf toe, but it still will have similar limitations in the ability to push off when running.
Return to Play Timeline
We know Purdy is expected to miss week 2 and possibly more. Typical toe ligament healing timelines are stated below:
Grade I: Mild pain, little to no laxity. 1-3 weeks return to play.
Grade II: Moderate pain, true tissue damage, and some laxity. 3-6 weeks return to play
Grade III: Severe pain, complete tearing, extreme laxity. 6+ weeks and possible surgery.
As fans, we want injuries and healing to function in a vacuum; unfortunately, they don’t, and there are tremendous grey areas. Dissecting Shanahan’s press conference suggests that Purdy’s injury is likely a grade II sprain, although this has not been completely confirmed.
Fantasy Impact
Fantasy managers need to prepare to be without Purdy for at least a few weeks. Purdy is a pure pocket passer, which will make his return to play fantasy outlook far different than if he were a mobile quarterback. As a pure pocket passer, Purdy won’t have as hard a time returning to the field compared to a running quarterback. Shanahan will not tell us which toe is injured, and the video review could easily be either. If this is to his right big toe, his ability to push off to throw may be impaired.