Ricky Pearsall got to play for the 49ers; Jauan Jennings is out

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Kyle Shanahan originally did not plan for rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. But after a week of practice, that's exactly what will happen.

The Niners elevated Pearsall from the non-football injured list to the active 53-man roster on Saturday. That means Pearsall is about to play his first snaps of the regular season against the Chiefs just 50 days after he was shot in the right side of his chest.

“I've been training all week and it was great to see him out there,” Shanahan said Friday. “He’s had a heck of a week and we can’t wait to get him there.”

Fellow wideout receiver Jauan Jennings was sidelined Friday with a hip injury, while running back Jordan Mason (left shoulder) and wideout Deebo Samuel (wrist) were cleared to play against the Chiefs after limited practice during the week.

Pearsall was shot and killed on August 31 during a suspected armed robbery in San Francisco's Union Square district. According to the San Francisco Police Department, a 17-year-old male attempted to rob Pearsall, which led to a fight between the two. The shot left Pearsall's back and missed vital organs, allowing for a quick recovery that Niners general manager John Lynch called “really, really miraculous.”

Shortly after the shootout, Pearsall made it clear to Lynch and Shanahan that he planned to return to the field sooner rather than later. The Niners placed him on the non-football injured list before the Sept. 9 opener against the New York Jets, meaning he would miss at least four games.

San Francisco opted to hold Pearsall out for the first six games, but he was back on the field for the first time Monday as the team opened its 21-day practice window. Shanahan previously said he expected a longer training period for Pearsall, who missed large portions of training camp with hamstring and left shoulder issues, but the coach also said he didn't want to make a judgment until he saw Pearsall practice .

“We hadn’t seen him out there in a while when he was with the team,” Shanahan said. “He looked great on Wednesday, he was even better on Thursday and he felt even better today. That made the decision pretty easy.”

The final hurdle before Pearsall could practice was regaining full mobility in his right shoulder, which happened last week. Pearsall's energy was so evident in a more casual practice session on Monday that he was out of breath after the brief two-minute drill they ran when teammates and coaches forced him to break up the group because he was so excited to get back to be.

As the week went on, however, it became increasingly clear that Pearsall would have a chance to return against Kansas City.

Pearsall, the No. 31 pick in April's NFL draft, could be particularly helpful against a Chiefs defense known for getting a lot of press.

“He's doing a really good job, obviously being back and just bringing the juice, getting in and out of his cuts really quickly and providing really good separation,” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “When you have a guy like Ricky who can win man-on-man duels and then also challenge a few other players, that's always a good thing. That’s why I’m excited to see what he does.”

How much Pearsall plays remains to be seen. In addition to his role on offense, he worked on catching punts throughout the week.

Jennings, meanwhile, was a surprise addition to the injury list on Wednesday after suffering a hip injury in last week's win against the Seattle Seahawks. Shanahan said the injury only became known after he spoke to the media on Oct. 11.

Through the first six games, Jennings leads the Niners in receiving yards (404) and has been involved in 58.3% of San Francisco's offensive snaps. If Jennings is out, the Niners have Pearsall, Chris Conley, Ronnie Bell and Jacob Cowing as options behind starters Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

Shanahan said Pearsall will be deployed “wherever he is needed” and that he is “healthy and ready to go.” Pearsall would have been activated even if Jennings was healthy, the coach said.

As for Jennings, Shanahan indicated that the hip issue is not expected to cost him much time.

“I don’t think it’s long-term,” Shanahan said. “I hope he will be ready next week. He was close this week.”

Samuel had limited training on Wednesday and Thursday due to a wrist injury. He wore a blue non-contact jersey in both training sessions, but removed it on Friday and is not injured for Sunday. Like Samuel, Mason was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but was able to hit the ground running on Friday and is not injured.

Elsewhere on the injury report, the Niners will be without their third kicker in as many games on Sunday as kickers Matthew Wright (back, shoulder) and Jake Moody (right ankle) were ruled out.

Wright was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.

San Francisco signed kicker Anders Carlson to the practice squad this week and was named to Saturday's game against the Chiefs.