San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall will be activated and is set to make his NFL debut on Sunday against Kansas City, 50 days after he was shot in the chest.
Pearsall completed his first week back at practice without any problems, and Coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Friday that he would officially come off the non-football injury list.
Shanahan wasn’t sure how long it would take Pearsall to get back to full speed but was happy with his performance during practice leading up to the game against the defending champion Chiefs at home.
“There was no expectation in that way,” Shanahan said. “I just wanted to see him. We hadn’t seen him out there in a while. Monday I didn’t even really count because it was a walkthrough. But on Wednesday he looked great. And Thursday was even better. And today was even more comfortable. So that made the decision pretty easy.”
Pearsall was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco’s Union Square and spent the night in the hospital. He avoided any damage to his organs and nerves and was back training at the team facility the following week.
He returned to practice on Monday and could play an important role against Kansas City, as No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings is out this week due to a hip injury.
“Whatever he’s needed at,” Shanahan said about Pearsall’s role on Sunday. “He’s got roles on special teams, he’s got roles as receiver and we’ll see how the game unfolds. But he’s healthy and ready to go.”
Pearsall, who was drafted in the first round in April, missed most of the training camp practices due to hamstring and shoulder injuries but was expected to be ready for the season opener before the shooting.
Shanahan mentioned that Pearsall’s return to practice this week boosted the team’s spirits. “The guys are pumped,” Shanahan said. “He’s been around the guys for a while now, so it’s not like he hasn’t been around but practicing all week.
It’s been great to see him out there. I think the guys are really happy for him that he could get back and be a part of it. He’s had a hell of a week and we’re just pumped to get him back out there with us.”
In other injury updates, running back Jordan Mason (shoulder) and receiver Deebo Samuel (wrist) had a good week with no issues and are ready to play on Sunday.
The 49ers will have to make another change at kicker, as fill-in Matthew Wright will go on injured reserve after hurting his shoulder and back during kickoff coverage last week in Seattle.
Wright had been signed to replace the injured Jake Moody, who sprained his ankle on kick coverage the game before and is expected to be out for two more games.
Anders Carlson was signed to the practice squad this week and will be moved up for the game. Carlson was 27 for 33 on field goals and 34 for 39 on extra points as a rookie in Green Bay last season.
