Ricky Pearsall, who was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt nine days before San Francisco 49ers’ season began, will return to practice next week, Kyle Shanahan said Friday.
Shanahan said the 49ers will open Pearsall’s practice window Monday, though he stopped short of saying the team would remove the rookie receiver from the non-football injury list ahead of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. They don’t have a pressing need for a receiver at the moment and Pearsall hasn’t practiced much since training camp began in late July. Once the practice window opens, the team has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster.
“Most likely I would think it would be a longer ramp-up period,” Shanahan said on a conference call. “Health-wise and everything, he’s totally good to go but I really won’t decide that stuff until we start watching him practice. But, we’re not going to rush it. If he’s ready, he’s ready. If he’s not, we’ve got a few weeks.”
Pearsall missed the start of camp with a hamstring strain. He also missed three weeks with a shoulder injury and, of course, hasn’t practiced in the month-plus since the Aug. 31 shooting incident. He needed three weeks in August for the subluxed shoulder to heal completely, but it’s no longer an issue. He also had similar problems with his shoulder in college.
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The gunshot wound to the right side of his chest healed quickly after the incident. The 49ers repeatedly referred to the shooting as miraculous considering the bullet passed through his body without striking any vital organs or even a rib. Pearsall was released from the hospital a day after the incident and stopped by the team facility two days later.
Pearsall, the 31st pick in this year’s draft, was shopping near Union Square in San Francisco on Aug. 31 when the robbery attempt occurred. Police arrested a 17-year-old from Tracy, Calif., shortly after the incident. He’s been charged with attempted murder along with allegations of personal discharge of a firearm, personal and intentional discharge of that firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery. The suspect, who was shot in the arm during the struggle for the gun, is being held in a juvenile facility.
What his return to practice could mean for the 49ers
Pearsall stood out for his separation skills during the practices he was able to take part in during spring and summer sessions. He also took turns returning punts during those sessions.
As it stands now the 49ers’ top receivers — Deebo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings — are healthy with Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and rookie Jacob Cowing backing them up over the first six weeks of the season.
Shanahan also said Friday that running back Jordan Mason suffered an AC joint sprain in Thursday’s 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He will be day to day, though there’s some optimism he could be ready to face the Chiefs.
“It’s positive that it wasn’t worse than that,” Shanahan said.
Kicker Matthew Wright, signed last week to replace the injured Jake Moody, dislocated his shoulder while making a tackle on a kickoff late in Thursday’s win. The team is still awaiting an MRI on Wright, though it’s likely the 49ers will need to conduct another tryout and sign another kicker before next week’s Super Bowl rematch with Kansas City.
Shanahan also confirmed that Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) will not have his practice window opened next week, meaning he will miss at least another game. The likeliest scenario for his return would seem to be Nov. 10 at Tampa Bay following the 49ers’ Week 9 bye.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
