Unlocking the 49ers Playbook
2022 Mr. Irrelevant was the hidden key
On April 30, 2022, when Brock Purdy was selected as the 262nd pick in that year’s draft, no one could have imagined how a relatively unknown QB from Iowa State would be the key to unlocking more of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s playbook.
Drafting Purdy changed the future of the San Francisco 49ers and inserted a quarterback capable of leading this storied franchise. Under Shanahan, the 49ers' starting QBs had been: Brian Hoyer, C.J. Beathard, Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, and Trey Lance. We know the fallout from the team aggressively trading up for Lance in 2021, but when he and Garoppolo both went down during the 2022 season, no one knew that the key to unlocking the Shanahan playbook was wearing #13 on the 49ers' sideline.
Before the injuries thrust him into the starting role, Brock was best known as the guy who helped teach Christian McCaffrey the playbook after the mid-season trade that brought him to San Francisco. Running after practice workouts helped get McCaffrey ready to play even a small role against the Kansas City Chiefs that Sunday.
It wouldn’t be much longer before Purdy himself was putting that practice to play. Five weeks later, against the Miami Dolphins, Garoppolo got hurt and Purdy was thrust onto the field. Purdy has the unique blend of quick decision-making, accuracy, mobility, and poise under pressure to allow him to thrive in a Shanahan system. Add in there a little gunslinger, and you have a player who commanded the huddle from his first real action and has earned the trust of his head coach.
With Purdy at the helm, you see more pre-snap motion and misdirection, and an increase in layered route concepts (including the deep ball). This has been a point of contention with pundits and fans, because elite arm strength was a concern with Purdy during the draft process. Purdy combats this by working his timing with his pass catchers so he can release the ball well before they are open. Seeing these traits in Purdy shows how he improved on his pre-draft weaknesses.
Prior to Purdy starting, the cumulative stats for the 49er QBs under Shanahan: 64.3% completion, 118 TDs, 79 INTs, and a QB rating of 90.8.
In Purdy’s two plus years with the team, his stats are: 67.5%, 64 TDs, 27 INTs, 104.9 QB rating. He owns the franchise’s single-season records for passing yards (4280) and passer rating (113.0), both set during the 2023 season. The stats are clear, but the efficiency and team success have clearly improved under Purdy. Back-to-back NFC Championship games and a trip to the Super Bowl in his first two years.
Let’s look at the ways Shanahan has leveraged the weapons surrounding Purdy to enhance the offense
Exploiting Christian McCaffrey's versatility:
The 49ers have demonstrated exceptional efficiency in the screen game, and Purdy can continue leveraging Christian McCaffrey's ability to turn short catches into significant gains.
Employing McCaffrey in situations that exploit mismatches against linebackers and safeties, for example, by isolating him on deep routes or in the slot for advantageous one-on-one matchups.
McCaffrey's motion can be used to draw defenders, opening up throwing lanes for other receivers or creating running lanes for himself or other players.
Maximizing Brandon Aiyuk and the deep passing game:
Purdy has shown a willingness to attack one-on-one coverage downfield, particularly with Aiyuk, and can continue exploiting single-high safety looks or situations where he can win against a corner.
Shanahan's scheme often utilizes deep over routes designed to create separation, and Purdy can continue to target Aiyuk on these plays, especially when motion draws attention away from the boundary corner.
Engaging the entire receiving corps effectively:
Jennings has proven to be a reliable target, especially on timing throws over the middle of the field like dig routes, and Purdy can continue to rely on his anticipation to hit those throws in tight windows.
Purdy is actively working to build chemistry with newer receivers like Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing, focusing on timing and route details to integrate them effectively into the offense.
Purdy's ability to recognize blitzes and make pre-snap adjustments to route concepts, such as shortening a post route, demonstrates an understanding of the offensive scheme and a capability to optimize plays based on defensive alignments.
Creative use of play-action and RPOs:
Given Purdy's high efficiency on play-action throws, the 49ers can explore increasing the frequency of play-action passes to capitalize on his accuracy and yards per attempt in these situations.
The offense utilizes RPOs where Purdy reads the defense (e.g., box count) pre-snap to decide whether to hand the ball off or throw the pass portion of the play, often paired with the outside zone run. This can be further diversified with different route combinations and reads to keep defenses guessing. This trend has been common throughout the NFL lately, especially in Miami with Shanahan’s protege Mike McDaniel and quick trigger passer Tua Tagovailoa. What makes it effective is the quickness it happens with and forcing defenses to be disciplined, something Purdy and Shanahan can both punish.
Balancing aggression and risk:
While Purdy has shown a willingness to throw the deep ball, balancing this aggression with smart decisions, including checking down to Christian McCaffrey when deeper options aren't open, can maximize efficiency and minimize turnovers. It’s similar to the NBA’s new metas of “3s and layups” where those shots are so productive, the mid-range game has taken a backseat.
Though not heavily reliant on his running, Kyle Shanahan might consider incorporating more designed run-pass option plays to capitalize on Purdy's athleticism and ability to pick up valuable yardage on the ground. This must be weighed against the risk of exposing him to more hits. Purdy did finish with more rushing yards than some other quarterbacks in the 2024 season, indicating an underlying potential there.
As Brock moves into the first year of his contract extension, the question is how much more can he and Shanahan unlock this offense, and how much more can Brock take on? This will be the question many fans and experts are waiting to see answered as the 49ers head into the 2025 season.