San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury during the NFC Championship game, and it turns out it was a pretty significant one. It was reported he has sustained a UCL injury.
After getting the opinion of Dr. Mark Adickens, it’s believed that Purdy will require Tommy John surgery on his elbow and be sidelined for a full calendar year, as per Dov Kleiman.
Adickens made his opinion clear during a appearance on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday morning.
This isn’t a declaration that Purdy will be undergoing Tommy John surgery, but it’s a opinion from one of the top professionals in the sport.
A torn ulnar collateral ligament is relatively rare among quarterbacks; it’s most commonly seen as an overuse injury among pitchers. Very few NFL quarterbacks are known to have ever had the surgery, where a new tendon is used to rebuild a ligament in the elbow.
Former Panthers QB Jake Delhomme had the surgery in 2007 and bounced back to finish second in AP Comeback Player of the Year voting the next season.
Purdy seemed optimistic he’d only miss about six months of action. “I’ve heard multiple things, in one scenario I think it would be six months and ready to go…I think in that scenario after three months you can start throwing and getting into a throwing program, and get into a routine,” said Purdy when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.
Whether or not Purdy undergoes Tommy John surgery, it doesn’t seem that he will be on field any time soon.
49ers QB Brock Purdy. Photo courtsey of Seth Wenig/AP
