SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For the fourth consecutive week, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was limited in practice on Wednesday. But this week that designation comes with a different description from coach Kyle Shanahan.
"It'll be aggressive practice," Shanahan said. "We've just got to put limited if it's not exactly how it normally is."
Shanahan added that the hope for Purdy this week is to continue ramping up his workload in practice with the No. 1 offense with the goal of having him return to the starting lineup on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
San Francisco is also hoping to get receiver Ricky Pearsall back from a right knee injury. Like Purdy, Pearsall has been out since Week 4 and was limited in Wednesday's practice. It was his first time participating since the injury.
"They told me he is healthy, so I'll see today from my own eyes when he practices and I'm sure he'll look that way," Shanahan said. "As long as he does, then he is good to go." Purdy, of course, has been out since aggravating his toe injury in a Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He initially suffered that injury in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, missed two games and then returned against Jacksonville.
Over the past few weeks, Purdy has been a limited participant in practice with the Niners toying with the idea of making him available as a backup. They've declined to do that, however, with the idea that if Purdy can be healthy enough to play, he should start.
"I think each week it's gone better," Shanahan said. "With last week being the best. I mean each week has been different, so if he takes a big step forward this week like he did last week, he should have a good chance to play."
While Purdy has missed the past six games with the toe injury, Mac Jones has filled in capably. In eight starts this season, Jones ranks second in the NFL in passing yards per game (268.9), eighth in completion percentage over expectation (3.1%), ninth in completion percentage (69.6%) and 10th in yards per attempt (7.4).
Jones has a 65.1 QBR, which ranks 12th in the league, and the Niners are 5-3 in games he's started. Despite that success, Shanahan has maintained that Purdy will step back into the starting lineup when healthy enough to do so.
That's been a bit more of a moving target given that Shanahan has also said that Purdy is unlikely to be "fully" healthy again this season and will have to deal with the toe the rest of the way.
Still, Shanahan reiterated Wednesday that the job belongs to Purdy when he reaches a point where he can play like the Purdy the team rewarded with a franchise-record $265 million contract in May.
"It's not a hard decision," Shanahan said. "It's just more about Brock's health. It's been awesome how Mac has played. He has been great. But we've got a lot of confidence in Brock... as long as he's healthy.
For Purdy to start against Arizona, he will also need to get through all three practices this week without issue. Shanahan said Wednesday he doesn't want Purdy to come back without being able to play like he always does, which means using his legs when required.
What Shanahan also wants to see this week is a Purdy who throws with the same velocity as he always has, moves like he usually does and just get a general feel for how close Purdy is to his normal self.
During the early open portion of Wednesday's practice, Purdy appeared to be doing all those things and was a more active participant in individual drills than he has been in recent weeks. When the time comes to decide who starts at quarterback against the Cardinals, Shanahan will lean on how Purdy fared in practice as well as input from Purdy himself on how he's feeling.
Shanahan acknowledged Wednesday that Purdy "felt a little off" before returning against Jacksonville. Shanahan added that if Purdy returns, the Niners are confident he will produce.
"We all know how good Brock's played in the past," Shanahan said. "I think he played really good versus Seattle, and I think he struggled versus Jacksonville, which is why we shouldn't have brought him back then. I know when Brock comes back, he'll play the same way he always has, like a very high-level quarterback."
Elsewhere on the injury report, the 49ers listed a pair of key defenders - linebacker Dee Winters (knees) and defensive tackle Alfred Collins (hip) - as limited participants with only running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams not participating because of veteran rest days.