Tony Romo explains what makes San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy a special talent

Add Tony Romo to the list of believers in San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. And he didn’t need much time to come to that realization.

“If this guy works hard, his ceiling is pretty high,” Romo said.

Romo, CBS’ lead NFL analyst, spoke to The Sacramento Bee before teeing off in celebrity-amateur pairings Thursday ahead of the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe this weekend. His 13 years as an NFL quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys give him a strong idea of what to look for when it comes to evaluating the game’s most important position.

He elaborated on what Purdy does that makes him believe he could continue to play at a high level, as long as his recovery from offseason surgery on his throwing elbow goes to plan.

“I know the timing of where things are supposed to be and what you’re looking at, and when you’re throwing the ball,” Romo said. “A tenth of a second feels like a minute to me when I’m watching. ... These little tenths of seconds are the difference and people either have spacial awareness — some people call it instincts. I call it the ability to use leverage against the opposing player. And then obviously your ability to react and use spacial awareness within that.

“And he has that. I saw it right away.”

49ers brass throughout the offseason have hinted Purdy is expected to be the starting quarterback after the team went 5-0 in his regular season starts filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo after he fractured his foot in early December against the Miami Dolphins. The 23-year-old threw 13 touchdowns to just four interceptions on the year while the 49ers averaged 33.6 points per game during his five starts.

Purdy helped San Francisco win two playoff games over the Seattle Seahawks and Cowboys before suffering a torn UCL in his throwing elbow early in the NFC title game loss to Philadelphia.

Purdy’s surgery was delayed 40 days into March while doctors waited for the swelling to reduce, preventing him from participating in the offseason program. The procedure included placing an internal brace on the injured ligament, and not a full reconstruction, allowing him to play this season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan has hinted Purdy is expected to be available for practice at some point in August, potentially making him available for the Sept. 10 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“That was an injury that you don’t know how it heals,” Romo said. “But obviously he has a great will and work ethic, and I think you’ll see that show in his rehab. What he did last year was phenomenal. I always root for kids like that, and I think that he’ll come back fine. I think it’ll take time.

“I think the expectations for anybody with that (type of injury) need to be lowered early on, but long term he’ll be just fine. He’ll have a great career.”

The 49ers have options should Purdy need time out of the gate. Trey Lance is returning off a Week 2 broken ankle after being named the starter going into last season. The team also took a chance in free agency on former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold, the No. 3 pick from the 2018 draft, who has made 55 starts in his five seasons.

Regardless of who’s at quarterback, Romo expects San Francisco to be among the best teams in the NFC.

“Oh, my gosh, the Niners and Eagles are definitely those two teams that everyone’s gonna say,” he said. “The Cowboys are outstanding though, too. They’ve improved, I think, and right now those are probably the three teams that stick out to me.”