As Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk pointed out, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy raised some eyebrows when he tossed three interceptions during Monday’s practice and was then picked off four times the following day.
Former NFL signal-caller and current analyst Chris Simms of NBC Sports suggested during a recent edition of the “Pro Football Talk” program that Purdy’s practice habits may be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
“You definitely want to get a feel for, if I’m aggressive, can I get away with this? Or wait, if this guy’s closely covered, can I put it in the spot and trust that he’ll go and get it and dominate the defender in like a 50/50 situation? Yeah, that’s what training camp is for,” Simms told PFT’s Mike Florio, as shared by David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “But when I hear seven interceptions in two days, I don’t give a s— what you’re trying. That’s a whole lot of interceptions.”
Daniel Jones of the New York Giants and Drake Maye of the New England Patriots are two examples of quarterbacks who thus far have left much to be desired with their training camp performances. The Giants may part ways with Jones come March 2025, while Maye is a work in progress who realistically could spend the bulk of his rookie season sitting behind veteran Jacoby Brissett.
Meanwhile, Purdy was a 2023 regular-season Most Valuable Player Award finalist who is coming off a trip to the Super Bowl and who has tossed just 15 career regular-season interceptions over 21 starts and 25 appearances. Four of those picks occurred in the Christmas Day loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past December.
Despite all that Purdy has accomplished, Simms seems to have concerns about the 24-year-old.
“I don’t know any quarterback I’ve ever seen as a starting quarterback in football throw seven interceptions two days in a row in training camp,” Simms continued. “Like never, Mike. I’m dead serious. Never. That is a really rare thing to staple next to a starting quarterback.”
Starting quarterbacks rarely, if at all, participate in preseason games these days, so fans likely will have to wait until the 49ers’ Week 1 matchup versus the New York Jets on Sept. 9 to see if there are legitimate reasons to be worried about Purdy’s development.
For now, Simms’ take is likely a nothing-to-see-here story during what can often be a quiet time of the football calendar for teams that are advertised championship contenders.
