49ers’ Ricky Pearsall expected to make debut vs. Chiefs, less than two months after suffering gunshot wound

Less than two months after he was shot in an attempted robbery, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is expected to make his NFL debut in Sunday’s Week 8 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.

The 24-year-old Pearsall, a first-round draft pick of the team in April, returned to practice this week, marking his first on-field activity since before Aug. 31, when he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

49ers general manager John Lynch hinted earlier Friday that Pearsall would have “a chance” to suit up against the Chiefs.

“I think it’s trending in a good direction,” Lynch told San Francisco’s KNBR. “To Ricky’s credit, after a horrific situation, he responded extremely well physically and attacked the work to get himself back.”

Pearsall was briefly hospitalized following the shooting that left him injured, which occurred during a struggle in which a teenager allegedly tried to rob the wide receiver in San Francisco. The fact Pearsall avoided severe damage to his organs was “nothing short of miraculous,” Lynch said at the time.

The Florida product technically has three weeks to be activated from the reserve/non-football injury list, or else he’ll be required to miss the remainder of the 2024 season.