Pearsall’s 49ers practice return timetable remains uncertain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers remain undecided whether to open the practice window for rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall.
“We haven’t decided yet,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday on a conference call with reporters.
“We’re going to need to think about it here today and tomorrow. But, no, we haven’t decided that yet.”
Pearsall was placed on the non-football injury list after he sustained a gunshot wound to his right chest area on Aug. 31 during an armed robbery attempt.
Pearsall was released from the hospital less than 24 hours after the shooting incident after the bullet did not strike any vital organs or bones. Pearsall has made a remarkable recovery, and appears close to receiving clearance to get back on the field.
After missing the first four games of the 2024 NFL season, Pearsall is eligible to resume practice this week. The 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Once San Francisco opens the practice window for Pearsall, they can place him on the 53-man roster at any point over the next 21 days.
Pearsall, a first-round draft pick from Florida, missed the first four days of training camp due to a hamstring injury. He also missed 19 days with a left shoulder subluxation.
Shanahan said he will not know how close Pearsall is from being able to play until he sees him on the practice field.
“We’ll see when he gets back to practice and we’ll judge by that,” Shanahan said. “I really don’t make any judgments until I see guys go through the practice week.
“I get excited when guys come off IR whenever they do, just to get them back into practice. And that’s really the first time you see them do any football stuff and you kind of make the decision as the week goes.”
The 49ers also expect defensive tackle Kalia Davis to practice this week. He underwent knee surgery after the 49ers’ preseason opener and opened the regular season on injured reserve.
“He is close,” Shanahan said of Davis. “There’s a good chance we open his window this week. I’d be surprised if it’s not open for Wednesday’s practice.”
Davis was a sixth-round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft from University of Central Florida. He did not see any action as a rookie after his college career ended with a torn ACL.
Davis appeared in three games last season but made major strides during the offseason program and first two weeks of training camp to show he was capable of locking down a spot in the 49ers’ defensive line rotation.
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