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The San Francisco 49ers have been dealt a rotten hand to begin the 2024-25 NFL season. As they continue to have injuries spread across their depth chart, head coach Kyle Shanahan reverted back to rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on Wednesday, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. Shanahan has released an update after Pearsall was shot in an attempted robbery in late August.
“I'm not exactly sure the timeline, but I know he's getting a lot healthier,” head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, adding that Pearsall “feels great” during their conversations.
49ers general manager John Lynch said earlier in September that the team's No. 31 overall pick will likely appear on the game field before the season is over.
“Absolutely, he's going to play this year,” Lynch said. “We're going to give him the time to do it, when it's right for him, and that's physically, mentally, emotionally. But I can tell you he's doing really well.”
“We're going to take it slow, but I will tell you, he continues to amaze me with how well he's doing.”
It's truly remarkable how quickly Pearsall has willed himself back to a recovery after the 24-year-old's terrifying experience. He was hospitalized with a direct wound to the chest, and was released the next day. The 49ers placed him on the non-football injury list on September 2, which initially was expected to keep him out at least four games.
When is Ricky Pearsall going to play for the 49ers?
The 49ers have been without star running back Christian McCaffrey all season, and have endured additional injuries to tight end George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. The dual-threat playmaker in McCaffrey has been dealing with a unique Achilles injury that's leaving fans restless and impatient.
Kittle (hamstring) and Samuel (calf) each missed the team's Week 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. Kittle appears to be working towards playing when the 49ers host the New England Patriots in Week 4, while Samuel's status is still uncertain. Shanahan initially stated that Samuel's timeline would be “a couple of weeks,” so it's possible that the Pro Bowl wide receiver makes a surprise appearance for the home affair.
As for Pearsall, it looks like he'll get to make his debut sometime in the 2024-25 campaign. The 49ers are currently sitting at 1-2 in the NFC West, so they will have some ground to make up as they put things in gear for another deep playoff run.
