49ers’ Ricky Pearsall will take huge step forward in football return after gunshot wound to chest
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It’s been six weeks since Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery, and he’s about to take a big step forward in his eventual return to the field.
Pearsall will practice for the first time since the incident Monday, when the San Francisco 49ers open Pearsall’s 21-day window to return to game action.
That is not to say Pearsall will play this year.
The window is the time frame during which the 49ers will have to decide whether to bring Pearsall back from injured reserve or leave him there for the rest of the season.
However, considering the timing of the decision and the improvements he has made, it does seem likely the Niners intend to bring him back.
“Health-wise and everything, he’s totally good to go, but I really won’t decide that stuff until we start watching him practice,” San Fran head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. “But we’re not going to rush it. If he’s ready, he’s ready. If he’s not, we’ve got a few weeks.”
Pearsall was shot in the chest in San Francisco’s Union Square Aug. 31, allegedly by a 17-year-old who tried to rob him of his Rolex watch.
Pearsall was in stable condition when he was admitted to a hospital and was released the following day. He was working out at the team’s complex that same week.
Pearsall dealt with nagging injuries during training camp that forced him to miss all three preseason games.
The suspect has been charged with three felonies — attempted murder with enhancing allegations of intentional discharge of a firearm and personal use of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery.
The Niners are 3-3 and have dealt with injuries all year. Christian McCaffrey hasn’t played this season. He’s dealing with Achilles tendinitis in both legs.
Aaron Rodgers is off the New York Jets‘ injury report and will be back under center Monday night against the Buffalo Bills.
The quarterback was a full participant Saturday after being limited Thursday and Friday while dealing with a sprained ankle. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said earlier in the week Rodgers also had an issue with a hamstring.
But the 40-year-old Rodgers is fine to play after having his worst game with the Jets when he threw three interceptions in a loss to Minnesota in London last Sunday. The four-time NFL MVP’s leg was twisted awkwardly on one play, but he was able to stay in the game.
“He’s looked really good,” Ulbrich said. “He’s a magician as far as the work he puts into his body and all the (regeneration) and all the everything. He looks like Aaron, which is a fantastic thing, as we all know.”
Ulbrich replaced the fired Robert Saleh on Tuesday and demoted offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as the play caller. Todd Downing, the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, will run the struggling offense against the Bills.
The defense will be without nickel cornerback Michael Carter II, who injured his back in pregame warmups last week and left the game early. Carter didn’t practice all week and was ruled out Saturday.
