The 49ers are getting a lift with Brock Purdy back under center.

The starting quarterback suffered a toe injury during San Francisco’s Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks, missing the following two games while Mac Jones filled in. The 49ers won both contests and enter Week 4 with a 3-0 record.

Still, coach Kyle Shanahan said what the 49ers missed most wasn’t just Purdy’s arm, but the intangibles he brings.

“A lot. The guys have so much confidence in Brock,” Shanahan told reporters when asked about Purdy’s impact. “They obviously had a lot in Mac before and even have more after going through those two games with him. But just getting Brock back, just the command he has of the huddle, the confidence he gives guys around him not only in the huddle during the plays and just around the building, it’s always nice to have him back in there.”

Before the injury, Purdy completed 74.3 percent of his passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The 25-year-old quarterback steadily increased his workload in practice this week and was officially cleared to play Friday.

“He looked good,” Shanahan noted. “Got to do a lot more than last week and each day he got a lot better.”

Shanahan revealed Purdy’s recovery progressed exactly the way the 49ers anticipated.

“We knew it could go either way, but the fact that we even considered him to be an emergency guy last week, just talking to him on Monday and Tuesday, and he wasn’t full on Wednesday or Thursday, but you could tell it was going that direction,” Shanahan explained. “As long as he woke up today feeling good, we kind of expected it.”

Now, the 49ers will see their starter return just in time for Sunday’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. At 2-1, Jacksonville presents another test, but Shanahan says he feels good about Purdy’s readiness.

“Brock … he’s always prepared,” Shanahan said. “He’s played in games with zero practice, and he got, for the most part, all of it this week.”

For Shanahan, that preparation matters — but it’s the poise and confidence Purdy brings to the huddle that gives San Francisco its biggest boost.

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