When Ricky Pearsall finally made his debut for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7, it felt like a special moment not just for fans of the red and gold but of the NFL, period. A first-round pick, fresh off of his being shot just before the season, was back before Halloween and would slowly be able to do what he loves most once more: play football.
And yet, between Deebo Samuel’s illness, Brandon Aiyuk’s ACL tear, and further injuries to Chris Conley and George Kittle, the 49ers might just have to rush Pearsall into more action down the stretch, as he might just find himself the team’s WR1 in Week 8 if everything shakes out the Dallas Cowboys’ way.
Discussing Pearsall’s debut and how the gameplan changed once Aiyuk and Conley went down, Kyle Shanahan celebrated the Florida product for his efforts in Week 7, especially since he took on a pretty big workload against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I was proud of Ricky just for him having to be ready for some spots that we were hoping he didn’t have to be ready for. Not just him, but also [WR Jacob] Jake Cowing and [WR] Ronnie Bell. Conley’s been in that role, and we’ve been utilizing him in a number of spots when guys are out or just taking a couple plays off,” Shanahan told reporters.
“But we had to mix a lot of stuff around there in the second quarter and halftime, or mainly halftime, and those guys were some in spots they didn’t get reps at. And for the most part they didn’t make too many mistakes and gave us a chance to get back in the game and gave us a chance to win. Hopefully, we can build off of that. These guys are going to get a lot more reps going forward with B.A. being out, with [WR] Jauan [Jennings] and Deebo, not sure if we’ll get them back this week or not. So it was a good start for those guys, and they should have a lot more coming.”
After missing the first six games of the season, Pearsall was thrust into a pretty big role in Week 7, playing 76 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps – 48 – while catching three of the five balls thrown his way for 21 yards. Considering how the game shook out, finishing third on the team in receptions and targets is pretty impressive stuff for the pride of UF.
Kyle Shanahan needs players like Ricky Pearsall to step up in Week 8
Asked how the 49ers plan to overcome injuries and illness alike heading into Cowboys weeks, Shanahan noted that he’s going to need all hands on deck heading into Week 8, with players like Pearsall primed for a grander role.
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“Well, it makes you look into everything. We try to look into everything regardless. Obviously with more issues that came up yesterday, you still want to look into everything, but it has to do with what options are out there with stuff that we can pull off that doesn’t totally hurt us, that helps us now and doesn’t hurt us for the future,” Shanahan told reporters.
“There’s lots of decisions that go into it. So, we’ll look into everything, but a lot of times that’s just kind of living in hope. Those answers aren’t always out there. You’ve got to be ready to get people better in your building and deal with what you’ve got in your building. And if you ever find something that makes sense, we will never hesitate on it but it’s not always available like you hope it is.”
Originally drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft to, at worst, challenge Jauan Jennings for the WR3 spot and at best, take Brandon Aiyuk’s spot as the WR2 should he have forced his way out of the Bay Area, Pearsall will now have to put the weirdest first few months of a rookie season behind him in order to become an instant contributor to the 49ers. Based on his Week 7 performance, it sure looks like that option is on the table.