It's been mostly good news from the San Francisco 49ers on Brock Purdy's prospects to start off next season. While that still could be the case, his initial elbow surgery date just got postponed and the worst-case scenario for Purdy still exists. Niners fans know better than to expect a clean bill of health from any of their quarterbacks at this point.

Should Brock Purdy not be able to go right away, it doesn't seem realistic for the team to lean on Trey Lance as the lone option given his own recovery timeline. 49ers beat writer for KNBR Jake Hutchison pointed out one candidate San Francisco previously had “rumored interest” in that could be someone to keep an eye on should they need veteran help: Andy Dalton.

“Dalton is a guy the 49ers had rumored interest in going into this last offseason, and may have pulled the trigger on if they’d been able to deal Garoppolo early. He played extremely well last season for the New Orleans Saints and will assuredly make more than the one-year, $3 million, $5 million and $3 million deals he’s secured each of the last three years. But, he’s going to be a legitimate option in this scenario, and probably not prohibitively expensive. Without Purdy available, he’s maybe as capable as it gets here.”

Andy Dalton is a proven starter in the NFL with three Pro Bowl nods to his name. He filled in admirably for Jameis Winston after the New Orleans Saints QB suffered an early season injury. Dalton finished the season with a 6-8 record, tallying 18 touchdowns and 205 passing yards per game. The 49ers could certainly do worse than Dalton as insurance behind Brock Purdy and Trey Lance. If anything, Dalton might be the one who has to be wary of setting foot in the Niners QB room.