Last week, the 49ers placed wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list. Aiyuk's inclusion was expected as he continues to rehab from the ACL and MCL injuries he sustained in October 2024. However, Pearsall's placement was more surprising, as the second-year wideout was projected to be ready for camp after a hamstring injury sidelined him at the end of the offseason program.
The team, though, doesn't anticipate a long absence for Pearsall.
"When they took their physicals, they weren't deemed to be ready on that specific day," Lynch shared. "And in some instances, they'll come off relatively quickly. It's kind of a ramp-up situation, where they've been away, we want to assess them, we want to get them off to the side and kind of build them up. An abundance of caution.
"And that also preserves the right, in some cases with PUP, NFI, to use that at the roster cut. But in some of these instances, we anticipate it being short-term. Ricky would be one of those."
Lynch confirmed Pearsall won't practice on Wednesday but will work off to the side.
"Ricky had a bad hamstring in OTAs," Shanahan added. "I mean, not real bad—a normal one. He's good now. He's hit all his miles per hour—he's fine. We just haven't seen him the last two weeks.
"We're not going to throw a wideout out there the first three days. We don't want to pull it again until we see his conditioning and everything, which we should get in three days, and then he should be good."
When asked if the hamstring injury involved a partial tear, Shanahan said, "No."
No timeline for Brandon Aiyuk
As for Aiyuk, the 49ers don't have a firm timeline on the veteran receiver's recovery or when he might return to practice.
"With respect to B.A., he did a lot to his knee, and I would tell you that he's in a really good place, considering all that," Lynch said. "Now, what does that mean in terms of a timeline and all that? We're continuing to assess and get information. He did a lot of his rehab away from here, and so, I think, when you get these guys back, there's all kinds of objective measurements that you want to do.
"So, he'll be working on his rehab with our guys. I think we're encouraged on where he's at, but not anywhere close to having a set-in-stone timeline."
With Aiyuk and Pearsall unavailable and Jauan Jennings' status unclear amid his contract dispute, the 49ers plan to sign veteran receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, the older brother of Detroit Lions All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Updates on Bartch, McCaffrey, Mustapha, others
Offensive lineman Ben Bartch landed on the active/non-football injury (NFI) list last week. Many view him as the frontrunner for the starting left guard job following the departure of Aaron Banks in free agency.
Bartch sustained a quad injury, but the 49ers expect him to be healthy enough to practice soon.
"He heard himself working out away from here," Lynch said. "He's one of those guys, not gonna put a timeline, but relatively soon, should be coming back."
Veterans Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams, who both missed significant time due to injuries last season, are healthy heading into training camp. Still, the 49ers plan to be cautious with their workload.
"Last year, neither of them did camp, and that didn't help them go through the season either," Shanahan said. "So, I'm glad that they're both here and healthy, and they get a chance to build their bodies where they have a chance to get through the season, like they have in the past."
Shanahan also provided brief updates on Yetur Gross-Matos and Andre Dillard, who were also placed on the PUP list.
"I think it's similar to Ricky (Pearsall), that because they've been away, we could put them out there right now with how they check," Shanahan said. "But we're going to be safe, evaluate them for these three days."
Regarding safety Malik Mustapha, who suffered an ACL injury in last season's finale, Shanahan stated, "His recovery and how he is, is as good as it could be. Just the way he works, the way everything checks, it's amazing, but it's still an ACL, so you've still got to give it the time."
Lynch added that Mustapha's injury was a revision of a previous ACL tear, making it a unique situation.
"I think with that, the time element, Malik is going to outperform every time because he's a special athlete, and then he's a special human being who's going to do everything and more," Lynch said. "But there is, I think, especially with the revision, just a time element that doctors want to see you get to.
Lynch added, "He wants to be out there today, believes that he could be, but we have to kind of hold him back."
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