The San Francisco 49ers are set to roll with Brock Purdy as the starting quarterback in Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals. Mac Jones will shift back into the backup spot as the team tries to rebound from the Week 10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told KNBR on November 13 that Purdy will be under center this weekend. The 49ers’ starting quarterback had been out since Week 4 with a turf toe issue. As a result, Jones stepped in and handled the job during that stretch. Now all eyes will be on Purdy to stay healthy and quiet any talk of a quarterback controversy.
During his radio appearance, Shanahan shared what Jones’ reaction was when he told him that Purdy is fully healthy to return as the starter.
“Honestly, it was awesome,” Shanahan said (h/t 49ers Web Zone). “I mean, I didn’t even have to communicate with him. I think he understood the situation that he went into. He’s understood it the whole time.
“And he had a real good idea that Brock was getting there, was going to be ready this week, so it wasn’t something that I really had to have a big meeting with or anything—but I did before we went out on the practice field. I did call him in just to tell him how much I appreciated how well he played during that time, and to kind of thank him for it.”
While every NFL player has that competitive edge to push for a starting role, players like Jones understand their role when they sign a contract and what it entails for their position on the team. Obviously, the situation changes as the season goes along, but Purdy didn’t lose his job due to poor play.
As a result, Jones knew that this decision was looming and harbored no hard feelings.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, man, I enjoyed it, and I’m gonna go have fun on scout team today, and I’ll be ready if I’m ever needed again,’” Shanahan added. “Mac’s handled it great since the beginning. Him and Brock have been studs in the room together. They help each other a ton. They enjoy each other. And I’m really pumped to have him this year, and I’m really pumped that we have him next year also.
“All these guys are super competitive, so everybody wants to start. But it really helps when guys have a lot of respect for the guy in front of them. That’s usually when the backups have been patient and have handled it the right way.”
Nonetheless, with Jones showing he’s capable of leading the 49ers, it will be up to Purdy to hit the ground running upon his return.
With national outlets weighing in on the situation, FOX Sports analyst Colin Cowherd was the latest voice to chime in on the quarterback debate in the Bay Area.
“I’ve said this before: You don’t want to justify things in pro sports,” Cowherd said on the November 13 edition of “The Herd.” “You don’t want to justify draft picks or decisions, just focus on who’s hot and who’s healthy. For the Niners, the hot quarterback is Mac Jones. The healthy quarterback is Mac Jones. I would be in no rush to bring back Brock Purdy…
“[Jones is] completing 70 percent of his throws, averaging 270 passing yards—second in the league without Ricky Pearsall or Brandon Aiyuk. He has three 300-yard games, bound for first in the league, and his passer rating is solid: 97.5. That’s good—a starter in the NFL, a B-plus quarterback.”
The Cleveland Browns provided a rare update on Shedeur Sanders ahead of their Week 11 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Cleveland has remained relatively quiet about its high-profile backup quarterback in recent weeks, but head coach Kevin Stefanski offered praise on Friday, highlighting Sanders’ growth both on the field and in the classroom.
“He’s doing a really nice job. Including just now coming off the field with the red zone drill we did,” Stefanski said on Friday. “Continues to work really hard. Doing a nice job in meetings. Doing a good job on the field.”
Stefanski noted that nothing has changed with Sanders’ workload in practice. He’s still not taking reps with the first-team offense. That marks a shift from earlier in the year, when Dillon Gabriel saw occasional first-team work while backing up then-starter Joe Flacco.
With limited reps to go around, Sanders has been working after practice to get more. It’s not typical, but the Browns have tweaked how they do things this season with so many rookies in the mix, per Stefanski.
“Going back to the spring, we’ve done a lot of things we haven’t done before because we have so many rookies. You’re trying to maximize every minute you have out there,” Stefanski said. “Certainly, throughout this season, we’ve tried to be extremely intentional in the development of our players.
“You’re not just assuming they’re getting better by just sitting in meetings. You want to give them physical reps as well.”
That said, Stefanski has downplayed the idea of Sanders replacing Gabriel as the starter and being in the mix to see action on the field anytime soon.
“I don’t think it’s fair to speculate,” Stefanski said Monday about a possible timeline for Sanders to see the field. “We’re committed to getting better as an offense. Dillon is certainly committed to improving every which way he can. And all the while, all of our players, our young players are developing and working so hard behind the scenes to make sure that they’re getting better on a daily basis.”
An interesting wrinkle for the Browns is the return of Deshaun Watson, which appears to be nearing. Watson has been sidelined for more than a year while recovering from a twice-ruptured Achilles tendon.
“Deshaun Watson continues to make excellent progress in his comeback from a re-ruptured Achilles, but the Browns aren’t opening his 21-day practice window this week,” Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot said this week. “The Browns will wait at least until least Week 12 against the Raiders to designate Watson for return from reserve/Physically Unable to Perform. They expect to have more clarity on his timeframe over the next couple of weeks.”
If Watson does return, it’s unclear where he’d fit in on the depth chart. He remains under contract through 2026 on his fully guaranteed $230 million deal, but the Browns appear focused on their long-term future. That includes giving extended evaluations to both Gabriel and Sanders to see what they can offer moving forward.