On Tuesday, Kittle joined the Dan Patrick Show to promote Tight End University which takes place next week in Nashsville. During the conversation Patrick took the opportunity to ask Kittle if he expects Purdy to start week one.
“Oh yeah,” said Kittle. “You win eight games in a row, it’s hard to bench that guy.”
Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow on the sixth play of the NFC championship game against Philadelphia in late January. He underwent an internal brace procedure to repair the injury on March 10.
According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, the expected timeline for Purdy to return was around six months with the quarterback beginning to throw after three months.