SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The plan to ease rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall back into form as he worked his way back from being shot in the chest didn't last long for the San Francisco 49ers. With after tearing ligaments in his right knee on Sunday, Pearsall quickly goes from a luxury depth option on San Francisco's offense to one of the key pieces.
“There are definitely a lot of opportunities for us,” Pearsall said Wednesday about him and fellow rookie receiver Jacob Cowing. “Obviously, it sucks seeing a guy like B.A.
go down — one of our leaders on the team, big playmakers and one of my close buddies who I’ve known for a really long time. It hurt my heart to see him go down. .
.. Now we have a lot of rookies who need to step up like myself.
” The Niners are short-handed when it comes to playmakers on offense with Aiyuk out for the season and All-Pro running back being sidelined by Achilles tendinitis that has sidelined him since August. The status of two of the team's other top receivers is also in question this week with missing practice Wednesday, a day after being released from the hospital after spending two nights there with pneumonia, and Jauan Jennings out with a hip injury that could force him to miss a second straight game. Pearsall had three catches for 21 yards in his debut, while playing 48 snaps on offense in a .
There were also some mix-ups, including a bad route he ran on his first target of the game that went for an incompletion late in the first .