Brock Purdy to get ideal preparation for 2024 season in back yard of 49ers' division rivals

Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers probably won't attach much significance to their preseason games ahead of the 2024 campaign.

It is more likely the 49ers' quarterback and head coach Kyle Shanahan will view the joint practices they have reportedly scheduled with the New Orleans Saints as more important for his preparation for his second full season as the starter.

Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reported the 49ers and Saints will practice together in Irvine, CA, just over 40 miles from the home of the the Niners' NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams. 

Though the dates have yet to be confirmed, for Purdy the practices will represent an ideal test, with the practices likely taking place at some point before the 49ers' first preseason game.

Why? Because the Dennis Allen defense has been one that has caused problems for Shanahan in the past, most recently in the 49ers' hard-fought win over the Saints in the 2022 season. New Orleans held the 49ers, with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, to just 13 points in a shutout win for San Francisco.

Purdy was on the sideline as the backup that day, so he knows what he can expect when the 49ers scrimmage with the Saints.

Even in a practice setting, it will be a stern examination, and it's one that should set him up extremely well for a season in which he will be under an intense spotlight as San Francisco gears up another run at the sixth Super Bowl title that continues to elude the franchise in agonizing fashion.