brock purdy

NFL Expected To Look at Emergency QB Rule To Avoid 49ers NFC Championship Scenario

Remember the NFC title game? The 49ers were forced to play an injured quarterback who couldn’t pass. The NFL may fix that for the future by tweaking and reinstating an emergency QB rule.

Ari Meirov of the33rdteam.com reported that the NFL competition committee will discuss the QB emergency rule. A change would allow a third quarterback to be in uniform. And the third quarterback would represent a 47th active player.

The NFC championship game with the 49ers and Eagles prompted the committee to take another look. If you’re a 49ers fan, it might be too soon to talk about the 31-7 loss to the Eagles. Philadelphia probably was the best team, but San Francisco had no chance because of what happened with the quarterback.

The 49ers had issues with the quarterback spot all season. Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were both lost for the season because of injuries. Then rookie Brock Purdy, the last player picked in the 2022 draft, took over the offense. The 49ers didn’t lose and Purdy was one of the best success stories of the NFL season.

Then came the NFC title game. Purdy tore a tendon in his elbow on the 49ers’ first possession. Josh Johnson replaced him. Then Johnson suffered a concussion late in the second quarter. San Fran’s only option in the second half was playing Purdy, who couldn’t pass the ball.

Before 2011, the NFL had an emergency QB rule. It allowed for teams to dress a third-string quarterback. The quarterback would be in uniform and count as the 46th active player. However, if the third-string quarterback came into the game before the fourth quarter, the two guys ahead of him on the depth chart couldn’t return.

In 2011, the NFL started allowing teams to use a 46th active player for any position. The 49ers like to use No. 46 to carry an extra defensive lineman. Under this new rule proposal, NFL teams still could use No. 46 on any position, but No. 47 would be the emergency QB.

Would other NFL owners be in favor of the rule tweak? Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, said yes.

I really am for having a third quarterback in the game,” Jones told Yahoo Sports earlier this month. “I would be pro. I’ve always been for the quarterback and increasing the number. I would be for that.”

Since the rule change a dozen years ago, emergency quarterbacks rarely made the news until the NFC title game. There was an incident in late November 2020, during the pandemic. The Denver Broncos lost all their quarterbacks because of quarantine rules. The Broncos started receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback against the Saints. He was the first emergency quarterback to start for any team in more than a half-century. The Pro Football Hall of Fame now displays Hinton’s wristband with all the play calls.