Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave joined the 49ers last week, but he was on the other side of the field when his new team played its final game of last season.
Hargrave played for the Eagles for the last seven seasons, so he was on hand for Philadelphia’s 31-7 win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The outlook for that game changed early in the proceedings when Brock Purdy injured his elbow and then got even worse for the Niners when Josh Johnson was also injured.
During an appearance on KNBR, Hargrave said he believes things would have played out differently with better health for the 49ers quarterbacks.
“We kind of knew it was going to be different when all you can do is run the ball, when both quarterbacks go out, and you know exactly what you’re trying to do,” Hargrave said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “Of course, it made it a lot easier for us. . . . Trust me, we’ve seen the film on Brock escaping. We knew it was going to be a challenge trying to get to him, so it would have been, definitely, a different game if he had stayed up.”
It’s unclear exactly when Purdy will be healthy enough to return to action, but the 49ers are hopeful that Hargrave’s addition will help ensure the team is strong enough to make another deep playoff run regardless of who is under center come the fall.