At long last, Ricky Pearsall seems set to get back on the field for the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
After a strong start to his second season, the former Florida Gator suffered a sprained PCL in his right knee during the Niners' Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and has been sidelined ever since. San Francisco had the option to place him on injured reserve, but opted not to do so, believing he'd heal somewhat quickly, which obviously didn't happen.
Pearsall has been getting some side-field work in over the past couple of weeks, and on Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he was hopeful Pearsall could return to practice on Wednesday. And that hope was indeed realized, as the 25-year-old participated, as did quarterback Brock Purdy, who has also been out since Week 4 with a case of turf toe.
On Thursday morning, 49ers general manager John Lynch made his weekly appearance on KNBR 680's Murph & Markus Show and shared his thoughts on Pearsall's recovery, while also offering up some optimism that he could be in uniform in Glendale this Sunday.
"He's been stable," Lynch said. "I think the PCL, those things can zing you. And he plays a position—you think about receivers and all, they have to do in and out of breaks. Probably the toughest position to come back from that type of injury.
"Ricky has done a really good job in his rehab. Ricky gives us something different. I think he gives us an explosivity at the receiver position, speed, ability to get down the field, and then, he's a precision route runner as well. He's just a good football player."
Clearly good news. The banged-up Niners could desperately use another offensive weapon.
"Ricky's done well," Lynch added. "He was out there at practice yesterday. Like Brock, had a really good day, and let's see if he can finish the week. It'd be great to have him back out there. And, yes, he is from Arizona, and I think that'd be great for Ricky to play in front of all his folks down there."
As Pearsall was back on the practice field on Thursday and suffered no setbacks, the expectation is that he will be back in action against the Cardinals, whom he torched back in Week 3, catching eight passes on 11 targets for a season-high 117 yards.
Coach Shanahan confirmed as much in his final injury report on Friday, too.
In the four games in which he appeared, Pearsall tallied 20 receptions for 327 yards, and as Lynch mentioned, his return will undoubtedly add some explosiveness to the 49ers' offensive attack.