SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Kyle Shanahan didn’t originally intend for rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. But, after a week of practice, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
The Niners plan to activate Pearsall from the non-football injury list to the active 53-man roster, Shanahan announced Friday. That means that just 50 days after he was shot in the right side of his chest, Pearsall is in line to play his first regular-season snaps against the Chiefs.
“Practicing all week, it’s been great to see him out there,” Shanahan said. “He’s had a hell of a week and we’re pumped to get him out there.”
Fellow receiver Jauan Jennings was ruled out Friday with a hip injury, and running back Jordan Mason (left shoulder) and wideout Deebo Samuel (wrist) were cleared to play against the Chiefs after being limited in practice during the week.
Pearsall was shot in an alleged armed robbery attempt in the Union Square area of San Francisco on Aug. 31. According to the San Francisco Police Department, a 17-year-old-male from nearby Tracy, California, attempted to rob Pearsall, resulting in a struggle between the two. The shot exited Pearsall’s back and missed vital organs, allowing for a speedy recovery that Niners general manager John Lynch has called “really, really miraculous.”
Soon after the shooting, Pearsall made it clear to Lynch and Shanahan that he intended to return to the field sooner than later. The Niners placed him on the non-football injury list before the Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets, which meant he had to miss at least four games.
San Francisco opted to hold Pearsall out for the first six games, but he was back on the field for the first time Monday when the team opened his 21-day practice window. Shanahan said previously that he expected a longer ramp-up for Pearsall, who also missed big chunks of training camp with hamstring and left shoulder issues, but the coach also said he didn’t want to make any judgments until he saw Pearsall practice.
“I just wanted to see him [practice],” Shanahan said. “We hadn’t seen him out there in a while going with the team. Wednesday, he looked great, Thursday, he was even better and today he was even more comfortable. It made the decision pretty easy.”
The final hurdle before Pearsall could practice was regaining full range of motion in his right shoulder, something that happened just last week. Pearsall’s energy was so evident in a lighter practice session Monday that when teammates and coaches made him break down the huddle, he was out of breath from the short two-minute drill they’d done because he was so excited to be back.
As the week went on, though, it became increasingly clear that Pearsall would have a chance to return against Kansas City.
Pearsall, the No. 31 pick in April’s NFL draft, could be especially helpful against a Chiefs defense that is known for playing heavy press man coverage.
“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,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “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.”
How much Pearsall plays remains to be seen. In addition to his role in the offense, he has been working on catching punts during the week.
Jennings, meanwhile, was a surprise addition to the injury report Wednesday after hurting a hip in last week’s win against the Seattle Seahawks. Shanahan said the injury wasn’t known until after he spoke to media Oct. 11.
Through the first six games, Jennings leads the Niners in receiving yards (404) and has been in for 58.3% of San Francisco’s offensive snaps. With Jennings out, the Niners will have Pearsall, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and Jacob Cowing as options behind starters Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
Shanahan said Pearsall will be used “wherever he’s needed” and that he is “healthy and ready to go.” Pearsall would have been activated even if Jennings were healthy, the coach added.
As for Jennings, Shanahan indicated the hip issue isn’t expected to cost him much time. “I don’t think it’s long term,” he said.
“I hope he’ll be ready for next week. He was close this week.”
Samuel was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday with a wrist injury. He wore a blue no-contact jersey for both of those sessions but shed it Friday and has no injury designation for Sunday. Like Samuel, Mason was limited Wednesday and Thursday but full go Friday and has no injury designation.
Elsewhere on the injury report, the Niners will have their third kicker in as many games Sunday as kickers Matthew Wright (back, shoulder) and Jake Moody (right ankle) have been ruled out.
San Francisco signed kicker Anders Carlson to the practice squad this week and he’ll be elevated to play against the Chiefs. Shanahan said Wright will land on injured reserve, which will open a roster spot.