SANTA CLARA – Upon reflection, Ricky Pearsall Jr. may not have been physically capable of play one other game on Monday.
The 49ers rookie wide receiver, who had played just 48 snaps in his NFL debut in a 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, was working off the joy and adrenaline when he told the assembled media that he be able to play again the subsequent day.
“Maybe I spoke too soon,” Pearsall said Wednesday because the 49ers began preparing for his or her Week 8 game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. “I had a little soreness, had a little neck pain, but that was really all I felt. Probably because I didn’t receive any contact or any punishment.”
It might be that Pearsall has one other 48 snaps or more left on Sunday night, because the 49ers will look to enter the bye week with a 4-4 record. Brandon Aiyuk is out for the season with a torn ACL and ACL. Leading wide receiver Jauan Jennings is recovering from a right hip injury that kept him out of the Chiefs game. Jennings didn’t practice on Wednesday.
Deebo Samuel was unwell — he was later hospitalized with pneumonia — and played only 4 snaps. Samuel was on site on Wednesday and didn’t practice. During the media practice window, Samuel ran alongside. Tight end George Kittle (foot sprain) also didn’t practice.
Coach Kyle Shanahan is hopeful that each one three can play against Dallas, but that's removed from certain. If Pearsall's debut was like being pushed into the pool to learn to swim, his challenge against the Cowboys may be like being thrown off the diving board.
Pearsall, 24, shall be a central figure in a nationally televised game based on his remarkable story of being shot within the chest during a robbery attempt on August 31 and returning to the sport six weeks later. But Pearsall missed a whole lot of practice time and previously had limited offseason and training camp incidents on account of a partial shoulder dislocation.
In the top, Pearsall caught three passes for 21 yards on five scores from quarterback Brock Purdy, numbers that might be lower than impressive without his remarkable personal story.
After getting through Sunday's pain, Pearsall was able to get going again on Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to the training and the meets,” said Pearsall. “That doesn’t change for games. I just play football, which I've been playing since I was six years old. But I’m definitely looking forward to some opportunities.”
Pearsall, trained primarily as an “X” receiver or split end, opened the sport that way, but because the day progressed he got a number of snaps as a flanker and within the slot and got moving.
“I don't think they planned for me to take the role that I ended up getting, but after BA was canceled and Deebo was sick, I held other positions,” Pearsall said.
“I feel like as a backside (as an X) you might get more one-on-one duels, but other than that you’re a receiver in the league.”
Shanahan believes Pearsall will profit from the work he did against Kansas City, noting he didn't have any “breakdowns” in the shape of route errors at various positions.
“The more he plays, the better he gets,” Shanahan said. “You see that in practice. It will only help him. (He had) more reps in the game than expected with guys going down, and he'll get more comfortable week to week.”
One of the explanations Pearsall was chosen in the primary round was his ability to play at any receiving spot within the 49ers' offense.
“Ricky is plug-and-play with all routes,” Shanahan said. “It’s not like he has a small route tree. He can manage the whole tree.”
Pearsall's overall impression of how he fared?
“I saw a lot of room for improvement coming out of training camp and there are a lot of opportunities for me to get better during this time,” Pearsall said. “I’m just going to go back and grind, do what I normally do and work hard.”
MORE WOUNDED WALKING
Also absent from practice were defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin), place kicker Jake Moody (ankle) and safety/special teamer George Odum.
The 49ers haven’t opened the 21-day practice window for running back Christian McCaffery (Achilles) to return from injured reserve. They hope to see him on the practice field after the bye week, nevertheless it stays to be seen how quickly McCaffery shall be able to play in a game once he's back in practice.
Left tackle Trent Williams didn’t practice because a veteran was having an off day. Those who were limited were wide receiver Chris Conley (ankle), defensive tackle Nick Bosa (elbow) and running back Jordan Mason (shoulder).
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir didn’t warm up with the defensive backs and was as an alternative seen with trainers alongside after the pre-practice walkthrough.
Hall of Fame Eligibility
Left tackle Joe Staley, who retired after the Super Bowl following the 2019 season, was included within the cut from 167 modern Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees to 50. It is Staley's first season of eligibility, as retired players have to be considered for five seasons.
Staley, who played 13 seasons from 2007 to 2019, was chosen to the Pro Bowl six times and was an Associated Press second-team All-Pro from 2011 to 2013.
Former 49ers who made the 50 list include running back Ricky Watters (1992-94, also played for Philadelphia and Seattle), wide receiver Anquan Boldin (2014-15, also played for Arizona, Baltimore and Detroit ) and place-kicker Gary Anderson (1998). , also played for Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Tennessee during his 23-year profession.
The next step is to cut back the list from 50 to 25 after a vote by Hall of Fame voters. Finally, between 4 and eight modern players shall be honored on the NFL Honors Night on the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Former 49ers considered senior candidates include running back Roger Craig (1983-90 with the 49ers, also played for the Raiders and Minnesota) and quarterback Jim Plunkett (1976-77, also played for New England and the Raiders).
NOTES
— Aiyuk was officially placed on the injured reserve list, with the 49ers promoting defensive tackle Evan Anderson to the 53-man roster. Anderson, an undrafted rookie out of Florida Atlantic, played in two games on the usual practice squad and recorded 4 tackles, one for a loss and a forced fumble.
Center Dieter Eiselen and wide receiver Malik Turner were added to the practice squad.
— Owner Dr. John York made a rare appearance on the practice field in the course of the season, coming out to look at team practices begin.
– Dallas edge rusher/linebacker Micah Parsons (ankle) didn’t practice, nor did cornerback DaRon Bland (foot). Both worked laterally in training. Bland had his practice window open before Week 6 but didn’t play within the 47-9 loss to Detroit.
– Dallas kicker Trent Aubrey missed practice due to jury duty.
Originally published:
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