49ers news: Kyle Shanahan reveals rehab plan for WR Ricky Pearsall

Earlier this week, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List, meaning he will be required to miss at least the first four games of the season after he was the victim of a robbery attempt over jewelry in downtown San Francisco this past weekend.

However, things are trending in a positive direction for the receiver, as he was already seen back on the field hanging around his teammates during practice this week.

What’s the latest on Pearsall’s status as he hopes to return to the field sooner than later?

“It’s kind of been amazing, just watching him,” head coach Kyle Shanahan shared on Thursday. “Getting to see him on Sunday and Monday, for him to be able to walk around and stuff with that happening, talking to people at the ER, them saying out of like 100 people, two people survive that. And to be able to see him the next day and just that he is able to walk, he’s coming to meetings, he’s doing all that.

“But he wants to go a little while, a week or so, without trying to work up a sweat. And then after that, he’ll start his rehab and progress to getting back.”

The 49ers immediately allowed Pearsall back to be around the team following the incident, which was clearly a desire for the wideout, but they’re also giving him his space as he recovers.

“I think when anyone goes through something like that, and everyone cares about him so much, but I told the team, everyone wants to show him they care, and so what do you do? You go up to someone, you ask them how it happened and stuff,” Shanahan said. “It’s a pretty traumatizing story, and I told the team we don’t want to make him relive that 80 times.

“So he knows how much everyone cares about him. He loves being around. It’s all up to him with that stuff. But everyone is trying to give him space in that way and just let him work through this process because the physical thing is one thing, but it’s a pretty big mental toll on someone, too.”

Funny enough, Pearsall suggested to Shanahan that he could even be back against the New York Jets this weekend, but the 49ers are making sure that the receiver doesn’t rush back, hence the choice to place him on the NFI list.

“I think [not rushing him back] is big,” Shanahan said. “Especially, I think, each day, the mental part becomes more of a big deal. The adrenaline and just surviving that. Ricky saying stuff, at first, that doesn’t matter like, ‘I still think I could play versus the Jets.’ Those are the things he’s talking about, and it’s just like, ‘Dude, what are you talking about? There’s other things.’

“But the adrenaline of all that. And then I think each day just to actually relive that and what his family had to go through for a couple hours, just flying out here, not totally knowing what the deal was going to be. I think that’s tough for him or anybody. When that adrenaline goes away, that becomes a much bigger deal. And that’s kind of what I mean by everyone kind of respecting that. Because we’d all be the same, and trying not to make him relive it as much as possible, but it’s really an unbelievable story.”

Pearsall will miss the first four games of the season, but signs point to him being back at some point this season. The 49ers will exercise caution in making that decision as he works back into the fold.