49ers’ Ricky Pearsall returns to practice six weeks after shooting accident

Ricky Pearsall, who was shot in the chest during a robbery nine days before the start of the San Francisco 49ers’ season, will return to practice next week, Kyle Shanahan said Friday.

Shanahan said the 49ers will open the practice window for Pearsall on Monday, although he did not say the team would remove the rookie receiver from the non-football injured list before Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. There is no pressing need for a receiver right now and Pearsall hasn’t practiced much since training camp began in late July. Once the practice window opens, the team has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster.

“Most likely I would assume there would be a longer ramp-up period,” Shanahan said in a conference call. “As far as his health and everything else goes, he’s totally ready to go, but I really won’t make a decision on that until we start watching him train. But we won’t rush it. When he’s ready, he’s ready. If not, we have a few weeks.”

Pearsall missed the start of camp with a hamstring strain. He also missed three weeks with a shoulder injury and, of course, hasn’t practiced in over a month since the shooting on August 31st. In August it took him three weeks for the shoulder dislocation to fully heal, but it is no longer a problem. He also had similar problems with his shoulder in college.

The gunshot wound to the right side of the chest healed quickly after the incident. The 49ers repeatedly called the shooting a miracle, considering the bullet passed through his body without striking any vital organs or even a rib. Pearsall was released from the hospital the day after the incident and was stationed at the team facility two days later.

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49ers’ Ricky Pearsall wanted to reassure his teammates that he was OK — so he showed up to work

Pearsall, the 31st pick in this year’s draft, was shopping near Union Square in San Francisco on August 31 when the attempted robbery occurred. Shortly after the incident, police arrested a 17-year-old from Tracy, California. He is charged with attempted murder, personal discharge of a firearm, personal and intentional discharge of a firearm, assault with a semi-automatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery. The suspect, who was shot in the arm during a struggle over the gun, is being held at a juvenile detention center.

What his return to practice could mean for the 49ers

Pearsall stood out for his separation skills during drills, which he participated in during the spring and summer sessions. During these sessions he also took turns with the punts.

Currently, the 49ers’ top receivers – Deebo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings – are healthy and will be joined by Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and rookie Jacob Cowing through the first six weeks of the season.

Shanahan also said Friday that running back Jordan Mason suffered a sprained ACL in Thursday’s 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He will be day-to-day, although there is some optimism that he could be ready to start against the Chiefs.

“It’s positive that it wasn’t worse,” Shanahan said.

Kicker Matthew Wright, who was signed last week to replace the injured Jake Moody, dislocated his shoulder during a tackle on a kickoff in Thursday’s win. The team is still waiting for an MRI from Wright, although the 49ers will likely need to complete another tryout and sign another kicker before next week’s Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City.

Shanahan also confirmed that Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) will not open his training window next week, meaning he will miss at least one more game. The most likely scenario for his return appears to be Nov. 10 in Tampa Bay following the 49ers’ bye in Week 9.

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(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)