Brock Purdy Shows No Rust in 49ers' Preseason Win Against Broncos

Brock Purdy playing in the 49ers' second preseason game was a giant question mark.

That question became answered as soon as Purdy trotted off the sideline onto the field for the opening series. It was the first time Purdy has seen in game action since rupturing his UCL in the NFC Championship against the Eagles.

The drive started with a Kyle Shanahan staple. Deebo Samuel started out to the right side of the formation, then immediately ran to the left side of the field when Purdy hiked the ball. It was a play-action rollout designated to hit Samuel instantly, and Samuel instantly turned it into a chunk gain. Purdy finished the day 4-of-5 for 65 yards. Most of the passing plays for Purdy were practically layup plays that Shanahan schemed open to perfection.

However, the most important takeaway is that Purdy showed zero rust, zero signs of being timid in the game.

That was all that mattered to see in this game. It was to see how his arm looked, if he was timid coming back, and if there was any rust. None of that was shown. He looked to be the same Purdy that was playing incredibly well last year.

Of course, it was only one series and not multiple. A larger sample size is needed to truly tell, but this is more of a case of "so far, so good" with how he looked. It's good that Purdy got to get his feet a little wet now as it's all about slowly integrating him back into the game to ensure he is at an optimal comfort level.

As for the other quarterbacks, Sam Darnold took over the rest of the first half after Purdy and the third quarter. He went 11-of-14 for 109 yards with one touchdown. He did have one interception, but it was not his fault. Receiver Ronnie Bell couldn't reel in the easy catch, and it came off his hands into a defender's lap. Overall, it was another average outing for Darnold. He's definitely a safe backup for Pudy.

Trey Lance would take the reins for the final fourth quarter. He finished 12-for-18 for 178 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. A bit better than his outing versus the Raiders, but ultimately it was still fairly poor with only a few high moments. Again, he looks like a guy who isn't getting developed, but now he looks like a guy who is playing without any confidence. As I wrote before, Lance and the 49ers are best for a divorce now. He has no future on the 49ers.

One more preseason game is left against the Chargers for the 49ers before they kick off the regular season in Pittsburgh.