Fox Sports media personality Colin Cowherd of The Herd has been among the harshest critics of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. While Cowherd doesn't consider Purdy a terrible quarterback, he has consistently credited the playmakers around him and head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive system for much of his success.
Many, like Cowherd, believed the 49ers might face a challenging 2026 campaign because of the roster's age and injury concerns.
Instead, Purdy has now turned in two impressive performances to open the season, leading the 49ers to a win over the Los Angeles Rams in Australia before returning home to convincingly defeat the Miami Dolphins.
Through two games, Purdy has completed 80.4% of his passes for 492 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception while posting a 125.6 passer rating.
Purdy's performance against the Dolphins was nearly flawless. He completed 20 of 22 pass attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, finishing with a 149.1 passer rating. He even added a rushing touchdown.
The 49ers quarterback's hot start appears to have Cowherd changing his tune. Speaking with former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, Cowherd acknowledged that his previous take on Purdy may have been flawed.
Cowherd noted that his co-host, Jason McIntyre, often labeled him a Purdy "hater."
"My take was always, well, you get [RB] Christian McCaffrey, [TE George] Kittle, [OT] Trent Williams, [WR] Deebo [Samuel]—you've got the keys to a Mercedes right out of college," Cowherd said. "It's like it's a pretty good law firm to start out, right?
"And now, I will say this: the one thing about Purdy, and you have to explain this to the audience, I think he sees the field. Forget arm movement—I think he sees it as well as anybody. Watching his head—I mean, he watches the whole field. And this is probably not an easy offense, and he's been there now several years."
Cowherd then delivered what may be his highest praise yet for the 49ers quarterback.
"I think Purdy's playing as good a quarterback as anybody in the league right now. I really do, Matt. Talk about seeing the field, Shanahan's offense, this offense they run, how difficult is it? Because it's like the kid's mastering it."
"I don't think you're a hater, I think you've just finally seen the light with Brock Purdy... People who understand the position really respect him."@colincowherd & @Hasselbeck on Purdy leading the 49ers to a 2-0 start pic.twitter.com/I5rtX6mcnx
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 21, 2026
Meanwhile, Hasselbeck has been a longtime Purdy supporter and responded to Cowherd's analysis of the quarterback.
"I don't think you're a hater, Colin," Hasselbeck said. "I think you've just finally seen the light with Brock Purdy. I've said it for probably too long. I think he's incredible. I think he's a baller. You saw Dan Marino, pregame, going over to him like, 'Hey man, I'm so impressed by you,' and he's over there fanboying. He's like, 'I wear 13 because of you. My dad was a Dolphins fan.'"
Hasselbeck added, "People who understand the position really respect him ... I'm kind of a broken record, but if you want to know how to find and then develop a young quarterback, look at that guy. And it kind of happened accidentally for them, too, but this is a great example of how it can work."
If Purdy's impressive play continues, his harshest critics may have fewer reasons to downplay the 49ers quarterback's success.
More info on: George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams
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