On Monday, National Football League owners approved a rule that allows teams to designate an emergency quarterback on game day, a rule they revived after the San Francisco 49ers ran out of quarterbacks during their loss in the NFC Championship Game last season to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It should be noted that the rule applies only to quarterbacks who are on a team’s 53-man roster. Even if they are upgraded for that week’s game, practice squad players are not eligible to be emergency quarterbacks. However, it allows a team to avoid counting the emergency quarterback as one of its active players on game day, which provides a little incentive for clubs that might otherwise choose to enter a game with only two quarterbacks available.
As you remember back in January, the San Francisco 49ers were forced to finish the game with running back Christian McCaffrey playing quarterback after injuries to Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson.
Because of that, everybody has been calling this rule the same nickname.
“The Brock Purdy Rule!” tweeted Bill Simmons.
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This spring, the XFL and USFL implemented a similar rule, as did the NFL from 1991 through 2010. During collective bargaining with the NFL Players Association in 2011, the parties agreed to raise the general limit of game-day active players rather than limit it to one position.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is on the road to recovery after his untimely injury in the playoffs. He underwent surgery in March to repair his UCL tear in his right elbow.
Purdy could return for the start of the 2023 regular season. Although, that is far from a certainty.
The expected full recovery time is about six months, which would put Purdy’s return date in September.
