The San Francisco 49ers are preparing to spend the next several weeks without promising wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on the practice field due to an injury.
Following Thursday’s OTA session, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Pearsall tweaked his hamstring and is unlikely to return before training camp in July.
Pearsall — a 2024 first-round pick — missed all of OTAs and training camp as a rookie because of hamstring and shoulder injuries. He was also shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in San Francisco on August 31, forcing him to begin the 2024 regular season on the reserve/non-football injury list and delaying his NFL debut until October.
While Pearsall miraculously returned to the lineup after just six games, he also spent a portion of his rookie season fighting through an injury to his right leg that he sustained in Week 12’s loss to the Green Bay Packers; though, he missed no games because of it.
With Pearsall sidelined, the 49ers are currently without their top two receivers at OTAs. Veteran starter Brandon Aiyuk is also not practicing as he continues to work back from a torn ACL and MCL, which sidelined him for the majority of the 2024 regular season.
Ricky Pearsall Began to Catch Fire Late in Rookie Season
An injury taking Pearsall out of OTAs for a second straight offseason is frustrating, but the 49ers should still feel good about the promising wideout after how he finished 2024.
Despite injury hurdles, Pearsall began to catch fire toward the end of his rookie season. He delivered a breakout performance in his third career start against the Detroit Lions in Week 17, hauling in eight of his 10 targets for 141 yards and a touchdown. He then kept things rolling in the season finale with six catches for 69 yards and another score.
For all Pearsall’s injury misfortune, Shanahan felt his rookie exceeded expectations.
“I thought Ricky had an unbelievable season,” Shanahan told reporters in January during his end-of-season press conference. “I know the gunshot wound is the biggest, obviously, but I’ve never had a rookie player miss all of OTAs and training camp and have much of a successful rookie year. It’s tough to do that.”
Ricky Pearsall’s Injury Opens Doors for Depth WRs
The 49ers will remain patient with Pearsall’s new injury, especially after how strong he looked when at full strength to close out his rookie season. In the meantime, however, the team will have an opportunity to put its other roster-hopeful receivers to the test.
The 49ers have veteran starter Jauan Jennings healthy and practicing, but their focus could shift over the next few weeks to the guys who are vying for roster spots, such as Jordan Watkins (2025 fourth-round pick), Jacob Cowing (2024 fourth-round pick) and veteran Demarcus Robinson, who signed a two-year contract with the team in March.
Watkins and Cowing are the youngsters who could benefit most from additional reps.
Watkins is an NFL newbie, but he caught 102 passes for 1,647 yards and 12 touchdowns during his final two years at Ole Miss and had a breakout final season with the Rebels, during which he tallied 906 yards (18.5 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns. He also demonstrated good speed in the pre-draft process, clocking a 4.37-second 40 time that the 49ers can surely put to use — if he shows them he is ready for the big leagues.
Meanwhile, Cowing is pushing for a greater role in the rotation after playing mostly special teams with limited offensive opportunities as a rookie. He received just six targets in the passing game in 2024, but he caught four of them for 80 yards and took three of those receptions for a first down, showing solid field vision and athleticism.
The real proving ground will come in training camp, but it can’t hurt Watkins or Cowing — or even Robinson — to get extra work in while the 49ers are missing two starters.
