San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Friday that wide receiver Ricky Pearsall’s 21 day practice window will be opened on Monday. Pearsall has been on the non-football injury list after being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ultimately suffering a gunshot wound in an attempted robbery.
When asked whether Pearsall might be active for the team’s rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, Shanahan tempered expectations. “Most likely I would think it’d be a longer ramp-up period, but I think health-wise and everything, he is totally good to go,” the 44 year old said. “I really won’t decide that stuff until we start watching him practice, but we’re not going to rush it or anything. If he’s ready, he’s ready and if he’s not, we’ve got a few weeks.”
The former Florida Gator was the team’s first round pick, 31st overall, in the latest NFL draft. After beginning his career at Arizona State, the 6’1″ wide out transferred to Florida where he racked up 65 catches for 965 yards and 4 TDs through the air, and another 62 yards and 2 TDs on the ground across 12 NCAA games in 2023.
Since being released from the hospital, Pearsall has been around the team facility almost everyday, usually doing work off to the side as his teammates practiced.
While his return is certainly welcome news for a team that’s been navigating its fair share of injuries in the early part of the regular season, they will apparently need to get creative with their backfield for at least another week. Shanahan confirmed Friday that star running back Christian McCaffrey is progressing, but won’t have his practice window opened on Monday.
“He’s continuing to improve but we’re not opening it up [next] week,” Shanahan said.
McCaffrey has been sidelined due to lingering Achilles tendinitis which has prevented him from suiting up at any point in 2024 to date. That being said, insiders believe that there’s a good chance that the club will opt to ease him back into practice following their October 20th showdown with the Chiefs.
This would allow him to get in some reps prior to the team’s showdown with Dallas, followed by a bye week. That would set him up for a potential return on November 10th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Players coming off an injured list designation receive a three-week period to practice where they can be activated at any time.
Thus far, San Francisco has been able to tread water with Jordan Mason handling starter’s duties. With CMC watching from the press box, Mason has accumulated 609 yards off 114 rushes (5.3yds per attempt), along with 3 TDs on the ground.
That production has allowed the 49ers to keep afloat, posting a 3-3 record through the first 6 weeks of the season. While that mark is well below what Niners fans have grown accustomed to, it’s still good enough to put them atop the NFC West division for the time being.
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