The 49ers Expect Brock Purdy to Have Elbow Surgery on Friday

It's been more than a month since Brock Purdy tore the UCL in his throwing elbow, and he still hasn't had surgery to fix it.

He originally was supposed to have surgery on Feb. 22, but his elbow was too inflamed for the surgeon to perform the procedure, so it was delayed. This past Friday, Purdy met again with the surgeon, and today it was reported that Purdy's surgery would be this Wednesday. But even that date was quickly corrected and pushed back, and now Purdy is scheduled to have elbow surgery this Friday, assuming he's ready by then.

It's starting to seem like Purdy's injury might be worse than the 49ers had hoped/expected.

No one will know exactly how bad the injury is until the surgeon performs the surgery. But it's important to remember that the surgeon works for the Texas Rangers and generally operates on pitchers who blow out their arms due to overuse, not quarterbacks who blow out their arms in violent collisions with 250-pound pass rushers.

If the injury isn't too bad and the surgeon can repair the UCL, Purdy could return as soon as September, which means the 49ers might sign a low-level third-string quarterback who might go to the practice squad.

But if the injury is severe, and the surgeon needs to do a hybrid repair-reconstruction, or a full-blown reconstruction, then the 49ers could be in the market for a second-string quarterback, either in free agency or in the draft. And considering how much success the 49ers had with a rookie seventh-round pick at quarterback last season, it seems smart to draft another one.