San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall is expected to return to practice next week for the first time since he was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt nine days before the season started.
Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned on Friday that the 49ers will open Pearsall’s practice window on Monday as they prepare for a Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City.
Pearsall can practice for three weeks before the team needs to activate him from the non-football injury list. Shanahan did not provide a specific timeline for when Pearsall will be ready to play in games.
“I would think it’d be a longer ramp-up period, but health-wise and everything, he is totally good to go,” Shanahan said. \
“But I really won’t decide that stuff until we start watching him practice. 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.”
Pearsall was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco on August 31 and spent one night in the hospital. Fortunately, he did not suffer damage to any organs or nerves and returned to work out at the team facility the following week.
Pearsall, who was drafted in the first round in April, missed most of training camp due to hamstring and shoulder injuries but was set to be ready for the opener before the shooting.
