The San Francisco 49ers placed Ricky Pearsall on the reserve/non-football injury list Monday, two days after the rookie wide receiver was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in Union Square.
Pearsall, the team’s first-round pick, is ineligible to play in the season’s first four games. It is, of course, remarkable that Pearsall has a chance to play at all in 2024. He didn’t require surgery and spent less than 24 hours at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center after a bullet missed vital organs and exited out his back, according to a since-deleted social-media post from Pearsall’s mom, Erin.
Recovery from gunshot wounds can vary, but Dr. Jahan Fahimi, a UCSF emergency physician, noted that Pearsall’s youth and physical fitness increase the chances that he could make a quick recovery.
Article continues below this ad
“Youth is probably the biggest factor,” Fahimi said to the Chronicle. “My hope would be he has minor injuries and he’ll be able to make a full recovery. It’s certainly possible someone could make a complete recovery with no long-term damage.”
Pearsall’s season-opening status was unclear before he was shot. He suffered a shoulder subluxation, a partial dislocation, on Aug. 6, and he was sidelined for nearly three weeks before returning to practice last week in a noncontact jersey. Pearsall had suffered the same injury during spring practices.
More Ricky Pearsall coverage
With Pearsall unavailable, another rookie wideout, fourth-round pick Jacob Cowing, could have a more prominent role in a position group that’s headlined by All-Pros Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Cowing, who is expected to serve as the team’s punt returner, had seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games.
The 49ers’ other receivers are Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell. The 49ers didn’t add another wideout to replace Pearsall on the 53-man roster because they initially kept seven players at the position, one more than they typically retain. Their surplus was a nod to the up-in-the-air status of Aiyuk, who didn’t participate in training-camp practices before signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension Thursday.
Article continues below this ad
The 49ers’ ongoing contract standoff with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams explains why they filled Pearsall’s roster spot by signing offensive tackle Brandon Parker, 28, who was among their final roster cuts last week. Before adding Parker, the only offensive tackles on the 49ers’ roster were Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore.
As of Monday, Williams, 36, was in a 41-day holdout. The 49ers will have four practices this week, the first on Tuesday, before hosting the Jets in their regular-season opener Monday night.