San Francisco 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall will be activated and make his NFL debut against Kansas City on Sunday, 50 days after he was shot in the chest.
Perel passed the first week of training without any problems and will be officially withdrawn from the market list of non-football injuriescoach Kyle Shanahan said Friday.
Shanahan wasn’t sure how long it would take for Pearsall to get up to speed, but was happy with what he saw during the week of practice when he played at home against defending champion Chiefs.
“There was no expectation that way,” Shanahan said. “I just wanted to see him. We hadn’t seen him in a while. Monday I didn’t even really count because it was a walkthrough. But Wednesday he looked great. And Thursday was even better. And today was even more comfortable, So that made the decision pretty easy.”
Perel was shot in the chest during a robbery in San Francisco’s Union Square and was hospitalized overnight. He avoided organ and nerve damage and was back training at the team facility the following week.
A 17-year-old from Tracy was arrested after the shooting and remains so is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder.
Pearsall returned to practice on Monday and could play a key role against Kansas City, with No. 3 receiver Jauan Jennings sidelined this week with a hip injury.
“Whatever he’s needed for,” Shanahan said of what Pearsall will do on Sunday. “He has roles on special teams, he has roles as a 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 the majority of training camp practices with hamstring and shoulder injuries but was on track to be ready for the opener before the shooting.
Shanahan said Pearsall’s return to training this week gave the team an emotional lift.
“The guys are excited,” Shanahan said. “He’s been with the boys for a while now, so it’s not like he hasn’t been there, he’s been practicing all week. It was great to see him there. I think the boys are much happier for him that he can come back.” and be part of it. He’s had a great week and we’re really ready to have him back with us.
In other injury news, running back Jordan Mason (shoulder) and receiver Deebo Samuel (wrist) made it through the week without setbacks and will play Sunday.
The 49ers will make another change at kicker, with substitute Matthew Wright going on injured reserve after injuring his shoulder and back on kickoff last week in Seattle. Wright was signed for that game to replace the injured Jake Moody, who sprained his ankle in punt coverage the previous game and is expected to miss two more games.
Anders Carlson was named to the practice squad this week and will be elevated 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.
