Similar to this was Alex Smith, a shrewd quarterback who preferred to deliver short, safe passes to tight ends and running backs rather than fully utilizing his wide receivers.
Although Brandon Aiyuk is expected to gain over 1,300 receiving yards this season, he has only caught two touchdown passes, compared to Deebo Samuel’s one catch. Is Brock Purdy, the quarterback, at fault, or are they?
Purdy’s career has gotten off to a solid start, and we are already discovering certain habits and traits about him. To begin with, when he is in the red zone, he rarely throws to wide receivers. Of the 12 touchdown passes he has made this season, 8 have gone to tight ends and running backs: Christian McCaffrey has received 4, George Kittle has received 3, and Kyle Juszczyk has received 1.
Similar to this was Alex Smith, a shrewd quarterback who preferred to deliver short, safe passes to tight ends and running backs rather than fully utilizing his wide receivers.
Aiyuk has only caught four touchdown passes in 15 games since Brock Purdy took over the position last season; Samuel has caught one touchdown pass in 12 games; and Jauan Jennings has not caught a touchdown pass in 15 games. It’s a pattern. Purdy is also the common denominator.
That is not to say that Purdy is a poor quarterback; far from it. He has limits, though. Why should the 49ers spend so much money on wide receivers if he would rather pass in the red zone instead of to tight ends and backs? Is it prudent to pay Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk about $45 million a season and extend their contract this offseason? If Purdy isn’t going to make the most of his wide receivers, shouldn’t the 49ers be investing that money on offensive linemen?
Or is a better quarterback needed for the 49ers?
Throughout the remainder of this season, they must discover it.
