Brock Purdy picked up right where he left off in 2023 after undergoing significant elbow surgery during the offseason. The second-year 49ers quarterback is 8-0 as the starter in his young career, with three-straight wins to begin his first full season as QB1.
He has completed 67% of his passes for 736 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in victories over the Steelers, Rams and Giants. Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft, looks awesome so far.
However, there was a moment in late January where neither San Francisco nor Purdy were sure if he would even be able to play this year. He tore his Ulnar Collateral Ligament during the NFC Championship game and his arm went dead.
As late as April, Purdy was not sure if he would get back out on the field in time for the regular season, let alone training camp. There was thought that his entire sophomore year could be lost.
UCL injuries are not uncommon in baseball, and typically lead to Tommy John. Although Tommy John is no longer the death sentence it once was, the road to recovery is a long, uphill battle.
Purdy was able to avoid Tommy John, once the swelling went down.
Brock Purdy’s surgery worked!
In lieu of complete UCL reconstruction surgery, Purdy underwent what is known as a UCL repair with InternalBrace augmentation in March. A tendon graft to completely reconstruct the ligament is not required, which makes it less complex than Tommy John. It also expedites the recovery process.
Most people would/do not understand what a ‘UCL repair with Internal Brace augmentation’ means. And Amazon knows that most people would not understand what that means.
To help out the average fan, Amazon included a very educational animation during its Thursday Night Football broadcast. It provided an easy-to-understand visual representation of Purdy’s surgery, which was much appreciated by those watching at home — and those who saw it on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Plenty of people watching were grossed out by such a detailed breakdown, but they will always know what it means when someone says “UCL repair with Internal Brace augmentation” moving forward. Amazon went all-out with its animation and it really paid off.