49ers' Ricky Pearsall to return to training 6 weeks after shooting incident

Ricky Pearsall, who was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery nine days before the start of the San Francisco 49ers’ season, will return to practice next week, Kyle Shanahan said Friday.

Shanahan said the 49ers will open Pearsall’s practice window on Monday, though he did not say the team would remove the rookie receiver from the non-football injury list ahead of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. They don’t have a pressing need for a receiver right now and Pearsall hasn’t practiced much since training camp began in late July. Once the training window opens, the team will have 21 days to activate him from the 53-man roster.

“I would probably think it would be a longer ramp-up period,” Shanahan said on a conference call. “Health-wise and everything, he’s totally fine, but I’m not really going to decide that until we start seeing him train. But let’s not rush it. If he’s ready, he’s ready. If not, we have a few weeks.

Pearsall missed the start of camp with a hamstring strain. He also missed three weeks with a shoulder injury and, of course, hasn’t trained in more than a month since the Aug. 31 shooting. He needed three weeks in August for his subluxed shoulder to completely heal, but that is no longer an issue. He also had similar shoulder problems in college.

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The gunshot wound to the right side of his chest healed quickly after the incident. The 49ers repeatedly referred to the shooting as miraculous, considering the bullet passed through his body without hitting any vital organs or even a rib. Pearsall was released from hospital the day after the incident and was stopped at the team facility two days later.

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Pearsall, the 31st pick in this year’s draft, was shopping near Union Square in San Francisco on August 31 when the attempted robbery occurred. Police arrested a 17-year-old from Tracy, California, shortly after the incident. He was charged with attempted murder, along with allegations of personally discharging a firearm, intentionally personally discharging that firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery. The suspect, who was shot in the arm during the struggle for the weapon, is being held in a juvenile institution.

What his return to training could mean for the 49ers

Pearsall stood out for his separation skills during practices he was able to participate in during the spring and summer sessions. He also took turns returning punts during these sessions.

As it stands now, the 49ers’ leading receivers — Deebo Samuel Sr., Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings — are healthy, with Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and rookie Jacob Cowing supporting them through the first six weeks of the season.

Shanahan also said Friday that running back Jordan Mason suffered a sprained AC joint in Thursday’s 36-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He will be day-to-day, although there is some optimism that he could be ready to face the Chiefs.

“It’s positive that it wasn’t worse than this,” Shanahan said.

Kicker Matthew Wright, signed last week to replace the injured Jake Moody, dislocated his shoulder while making a tackle late in Thursday’s victory. The team is still awaiting an MRI on Wright, although it’s likely the 49ers will need to conduct another test and sign another kicker before next week’s Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City.

Shanahan also confirmed that Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) will not have his training window open next week, meaning he will miss at least one more game. The most likely scenario for his return appears to be Nov. 10 at Tampa Bay, following the 49ers’ Week 9 bye.