It doesn’t appear the San Francisco 49ers will get their No. 1 wide receiver back in time for their battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
When WR Ricky Pearsall went down with a knee injury in the 49ers’ Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars it didn’t sound like the injury would cause the former first-round pick to miss a ton of time. It still doesn’t sound like a long-term problem, but any hope of him returning after missing Week 5 seems to be fading.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday spoke with reporters and said the club doesn’t expect to have Pearsall on Sunday.
“We were hoping last week that he’d probably be able to get in this week,” Shanahan said. “He wasn’t able to Monday, he’s not able to today. So, we’ll see if there’s a turn here on Thursday or Friday, but I’m not counting on it right now.”
Pearsall was listed as a non-participant on the Wednesday practice participation report.
His absence is one the 49ers were able to overcome thanks to a 10-catch, 142-yard outburst from Kendrick Bourne in the 49ers’ 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. However, it’s not an absence they’re built to withstand long-term.
Pearsall in four games caught 20-of-29 targets for 327 yards, and 17 of his 20 receptions went for first downs. He was becoming a dynamic playmaker in all three levels of the passing game who’d gained the trust of both 49ers quarterbacks. San Francisco can replace him in the aggregate for one week. Trying to replace him again against Tampa Bay may not be as easy as overloading Bourne with targets.
The ideal for the 49ers at this point, however, is that Pearsall is healthy once he does return. With a 4-1 record entering Week 6 the 49ers have a little breathing room. If they’re going to make noise down the stretch it’s going to require Pearsall’s presence in their starting lineup.
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