The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with a lot of setbacks via injury, but things appear to be turning around as they approach Week 7.
Back in August, first-round pick and rookie WR Ricky Pearsall was shot in a shocking incident. Now, after missing six games and the majority of the preseason, Pearsall is returning to the practice field.
San Francisco stated they were opening his 21-day practice window on October 14.
“The #49ers today announced they have opened the practice window for WR Ricky Pearsall (Reserve/Non-Football Injury List),” the team’s official X account wrote.
KNBR then shared video of Pearsall working out alongside his teammates.
San Francisco has no shortage of offensive weapons, but they’ve been without RB Christian McCaffery the entire season. Further, RB Jordan Mason as well as WRs Jacob Cowing and Chris Conley have been banged up.
With Pearsall returning to practice, the team is another step close to being healthy. While expectations for Pearsall should probably be kept low after having his rookie year disrupted in such a wild way, getting him back into the swing of things is only a good thing.
Shanahan Speaks on Pearsall’s Return
Pearsall hitting the practice field was not a surprise, as 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said he planned to open his window on October 11. However, San Francisco fans should not expect Pearsall to be suiting up this week.
The 49ers will host the Kansas City Chiefs on October 20 in a rematch of the 2024 Super Bowl. But Shanahan is not planning on having Pearsall as an option, but remains open to him playing.
“I would think it’d be a longer ramp-up period, but health-wise and everything, he is totally good to go. 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,” Shanahan said.
The context of the Chiefs game speaks for itself. Technically, out-of-conference games mean less. But the 49ers, and specifically DE Nick Bosa, are eager to finally beat Kansas City.
49ers Star Wants ‘Monkey Off His Back’
After the Thursday night victory over the Seattle Seahawks, there was a since of relief and confidence. San Francisco needed to get back to .500, and did so by beating a division rival on the road.
But Bosa was already thinking about the Chiefs. San Francisco is 0-3 in Bosa’s time with the team, and he’s ready to get a notch in the win column.
“Obviously, this was a big one to get, and now we have a little time to get some guys healthy and then, yeah,” Bosa said. “I mean, we have a long road ahead, and it starts with the team that we haven’t beat yet since I’ve been here, so definitely trying to get the monkey off our back with that one.”
Beating Kansas City would be a huge boost after a middling start to the season. But doing that is easier said than done, and the 49ers know that better than almost any team.
