Niners WR Ricky Pearsall to make NFL debut Sunday vs. Chiefs

| American Football | 10/19/2024

By Nick Shook, Around the NFL Writer

Ricky Pearsall‘s journey to an NFL field is nearly complete.

The San Francisco 49ers will activate the rookie receiver for Sunday’s game against Kansas City, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday.

“The guys are pumped. He’s been around the guys for a while now, so it’s not like he hasn’t been around, but practicing all week,” Shanahan said. “It’s been great to see him out there. I think the guys were real happy for him that he could get back and be a part of it. He’s had a hell of a week, and we’re just pumped to get him out there with us.”

When the 49ers face the Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII, it will mark 50 days since Pearsall was shot through the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco. Incredibly, Pearsall avoided serious injury and thanks to the quick actions of police and first responders, he was only hospitalized for one day before being released.

In the wake of the shooting and Pearsall’s hospitalization, the 49ers placed the receiver on the reserve/non-football injury list on Sept. 2. They opened his 21-day practice window on Oct. 14, and he needed just one week of work to prove he was ready to make his debut.

“Whatever he’s needed at,” Shanahan said when asked what he can do at this stage. “He’s got roles on special teams, he’s got his role at receiver, and we’ll see how the game unfolds. He’s healthy and ready to go.”

The 31st-overall pick in April’s draft will suit up with his team for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff in Santa Clara against the defending champions Sunday.

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major