Will Sam Darnold Start a Game for the 49ers this Season?

Brock Purdy is in no danger of losing his job. Let's get that out of the way.

Purdy just lost his first game in the NFL, but still is having one of the best starts to a career of any quarterback ever. His numbers are fantastic and his win-loss record is almost impeccable.

But his head coach is Kyle Shanahan. And we know Shanahan likes to take credit for his starting quarterback's success. Plus we know he's the biggest Sam Darnold fan in the world.

Shanahan didn't discover Purdy -- the scouting department did. He was an afterthought, because Kyle Shanahan wanted Trey Lance. Purdy surprised Shanahan, and they're working well together now, but Shanahan might think this magic could be shortlived. Might see Purdy as a more mobile, more durable version of Jimmy Garoppolo -- a good but not great quarterback who can win a lot of games but not the Super Bowl.

If Shanahan truly believed in Purdy as the franchise quarterback, he might have drafted a backup quarterback this year who's similar to Purdy. Instead, the 49ers gave a one-year deal to Sam Darnold, who's much more physically gifted than Purdy.

Remember, Darnold was the No. 3 pick in the draft, just like Lance. And the reason Shanahan wanted Lance is because he's more gifted than Garoppolo. Shanahan thought if he could have success with a modest quarterback, imagine what he could do with a gifted one.

Lance never panned out for the 49ers, but that doesn't mean Shanahan has ended his search for a bigger, faster, stronger quarterback.

Don't be surprised if Darnold starts a game this season. He'll be a free agent at the end of it, and Shanahan might want to see him play before he hits the road.