Ricky Pearsall update: Kyle Shanahan shares latest on 49ers WR’s status after shooting

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has been working to return to the field after he was shot at the end of August. While he’s not quite ready, head coach Kyle Shanahan has shared that he’s getting closer.

While the team has yet to open the practice window for Pearsall, it appears they’re getting closer to doing so and will as soon as the team believes he’s ready to return to football.

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I know he is really close,” Kyle Shanahan told reporters. “When he’s good to go, we’ll be pumped to have him back. Ricky is a hell of a player.”

When a player returns from the IR, they can come back on a 21-day practice window. That allows them to practice without impacting the 53-man roster and once that window closes and those three weeks are up, the team can either activate the player fully or put them on season-ending IR. Players can also be traded or released in that window, but it’s doubtful San Francisco would do that with Pearsall.

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Ricky Pearsall is a rookie who the San Francisco 49ers selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He had played his college football at Florida, which he had transferred to after previously playing for Arizona State. In particular, Pearsall thrived during his time with the Gators, hauling in 98 receptions in 25 games for Florida. He averaged 16.6 yards per reception and had nine touchdowns with the Gators.

On August 31st, Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest by a teenager who was allegedly attempting to steal his watch. He was reportedly en route to an autograph signing and was shot during a struggle for the gun. The suspect was also shot in that struggle.

Pearsall was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and released the following day. He would go on to appear on the sidelines for San Francisco’s season-opening win over the New York Jets.

This comes in a season where Kyle Shanahan has dealt with several offensive injuries. None of those injuries have been as serious as a shooting. However, they’re still having an impact on the team. In particular, running back Christian McCaffrey has yet to see the field, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel has missed time. So, getting back a high-upside player like Ricky Pearsall is going to help the 49ers moving forward this season.

The challenge is that Pearsall isn’t coming back from a normal injury. So, getting him both healthy enough to play and back to full speed is very difficult to do.