49ers GM John Lynch confident Ricky Pearsall will play this season after shooting: ‘He’s doing remarkably well’

Just days after he was shot during an alleged robbery attempt, San Francisco 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall is back with the team.

While it’s still early, Niners general manager John Lynch is confident Pearsall will take the field to make his debut soon.

Pearsall was released from the hospital on Sunday following the incident in San Francisco’s Union Square the day before, in which Pearsall was shot in the chest. The bullet did not hit any vital organs, and Pearsall is now recovering from his hospital stay. The 49ers placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list on Monday afternoon, meaning he will miss at least their first four games of the season.

Both Pearsall and the alleged shooter, a 17-year-old, were taken to hospital in stable condition. The teen is believed to have acted alone, but the incident remains under investigation.

Lynch thanked first responders Tuesday, one of whom may have saved Pearsall’s life after they found him at the scene. Sgt. Joelle Harrell said she immediately used her baseball cap to press the exit wound in Pearsall’s back to stop the bleeding, and that at one point Pearsall asked her if he was going to die.

Pearsall eventually walked to an ambulance with help and was released from the hospital a day later.

Lynch visited Pearsall in the hospital after the shooting on Saturday and said he helped Pearsall FaceTime to a team party from his hospital bed that night.

The 49ers selected Pearsall with the 31st overall pick in the NFL Draft earlier this summer. He had a career-high 965 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season with Florida.

By placing him on the reserve/non-football injury list, Pearsall will not be able to make his debut for the team until the game against the Arizona Cardinals on October 6. Given the other minor injuries Pearsall had sustained during training camp, Lynch did not think it was possible for Pearsall to return before then.

While he knows he still has a long way to go before he can play, Lynch had no doubts that Pearsall could make an impact on the field sometime in 2024.