San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is nearly seven weeks removed from the harrowing incident in Union Square, where he was shot in the chest during a robbery attempt. For most people, surviving such an ordeal would be enough, but this week holds even more significance for the rookie—it's his chance to return to the game he loves.
The 49ers opened Pearsall's practice window this week, and the first-year wideout has been a full participant. This is a promising sign that he could soon be activated off the non-football injury (NFI) list. Will that happen before Sunday's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs? Before Thursday, most would have said it was unlikely, but Pearsall has impressed in practice, and it wouldn't be shocking if he rejoined his teammates for the highly-anticipated Super Bowl rematch.
"From my observation, it's been a really, really productive rookie class," tackle Trent Williams told reporters on Thursday, "probably the most productive I've been around in my career, just because it's from so many people in so many different positions, not just one guy. And then we're getting Ricky back, hopefully this Sunday, that should add to it."
Of course, Williams might have misspoken. It's unlikely he's privy to any coaching decisions about Pearsall's status. Still, it's a good sign that Pearsall looks ready to play based on what his teammates have seen.
The 49ers may choose to be cautious with Pearsall's return, though. Mike Silver of The Athletic reported that the rookie couldn't fully lift his right arm above his head until last week.
"He has also recovered from the left shoulder subluxation he suffered during the offseason and aggravated early in training camp," Silver added.
If the 49ers activate Pearsall on Saturday, it could be a significant boost for the offense—emotionally and practically. Jauan Jennings, the team's third receiver and current leader in receiving yardage, may not be available this weekend due to a hip injury that has kept him out of practice.
"He's in jeopardy of [missing the game]," head coach Kyle Shanahan said during a Thursday radio interview. "I'm hoping that he can turn around here and have a good day tomorrow and feel better, but definitely, right now, it's no guarantee."
Meanwhile, quarterback Brock Purdy has used this week to build chemistry with Pearsall. Before the August 31 incident, the rookie missed most of training camp due to his shoulder injury and didn't play during the preseason. So far, Purdy has been impressed.
"He's doing a really good job, obviously being back and just bringing the juice, going really fast in and out of his cuts, and creating some really good separation," Purdy said. "And so, obviously, we drafted him in the first round, and he's got a lot of potential. And yeah, for him to get in and actually be a part of our offense, not just a young guy that's trying to learn his way, but actually trying to make an impact pretty early on, for me, I love it.
"It's another great option and another part of our offense. And so, I think, obviously, tomorrow we'll go through our red-zone plan and stuff, but ... when you've got a guy like Ricky that can win man-to-man matchups and then also open up some other guys, too, that's always a good thing. So, I'm excited to see what he does."
Shanahan didn't reveal the team's exact plans for Pearsall but made it clear that he believes the rookie will make an impact—whenever he returns.
"Ricky's a real good receiver," Shanahan said. "I'm not [saying] he's got to play in this game to help us that way. I think that's a lot of pressure to do with him, but that's one of the reasons that we wanted to draft him. He's very good versus man, and he's a good football player versus everything.
"So the quicker we can get Ricky up to speed, which we're working on real hard right now, and I know he is, as this year goes, I believe he's going to help us a lot."