49ers’ Brock Purdy will be a huge test of NFL’s concussion protocol

This approach is where 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy finds himself in as of Wednesday, when the team announced the player was placed in concussion protocol. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Purdy started to feel symptoms on the plane ride back from Minneapolis after the 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The quarterback was then tested Tuesday, and officially placed in the protocol the next day.

A flood of rampant speculation immediately followed this announcement once it made its way onto social media. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio posted what has now become the play many believe when the concussion occurred. With 7:03 left in the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-1, Purdy called a no-huddle quarterback sneak to try to get a first down. As he tried to push forward, Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks rams into Purdy’s head while trying to make the stop, causing the quarterback’s head to snap back.

Shanahan could not pinpoint when the concussion happened, answering a question about the timing with a simple “in the game.” The coach did admit it was “probably” during one of the sneak plays Purdy ran. As for whether the concussion affected the quarterback’s performance the rest of the game — something that many media members speculated about in the wake of this news — Shanahan told reporters there wasn’t anything on film that indicated there was a problem. Offensive lineman Jon Feliciano is an example of a Niners player that got put into the protocol in the same week of a game he played, though he had the benefit of a full week to recover between Weeks 4 and 5.

Regardless, the 49ers are now in a tough spot, and not just because their young highly touted quarterback suffered a gnarly blow to the head. The chances of Purdy playing Sunday against the Bengals are slim, as just 25% of all players “over the last few years” have played a week after entering concussion protocol. Through Week 4, that number was just two out of a possible 15 players, according to an analysis from Sports Injury Central.

Shanahan did mention that Purdy “does have enough time” to clear the protocol ahead of Sunday. It’s not exactly a race against the clock; it’s a race against procedure. The NFL has a five-step plan players must complete to return to play, starting with basic rest, supervised aerobics, supervised football-related exercises, non-contact drills, and then full football activities before getting clearance. If Purdy can do all that before Sunday, he’ll be good to play. On Wednesday, the 23-year-old quarterback did participate in team walk-throughs, so he’s still getting first-team reps despite his condition.

But the time element can’t be ignored. Purdy could theoretically complete all five steps in just four days, but then what does that say about the protocol that a player can recover from concussion symptoms, and return to full NFL contact shape, in less than a week? The 49ers have already gone through with sending out a player after not taking contact all week with Christian McCaffrey. Perhaps the team could make things easier by taking a similar route with Purdy. However, the McCaffrey strategy was because of a shoulder issue, not a brain-related injury affecting arguably the most cerebral position on the field. 

Last season, it was much easier to ask questions about the concussion protocol process in the case of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Not only did an independent neurologist allow Tagovailoa to return to a game where he wobbled after taking a hit to the head, he was cleared to play four days later. In that game, he suffered a hit that made him demonstrate a fencing response and required a trip to the hospital. This time, however, there’s no jarring video evidence of what Purdy dealt with after the fact, just a surprisingly quick turn-around.

The protocol doesn’t have to be put to the test, of course, as Purdy could ultimately not pass and sit in favor of Sam Darnold. But if Purdy does make a quick return to the field, it comes with the risk of something going terribly wrong – which would serve as another indictment of the NFL’s concussion protocol.