John Lynch Reveals Ricky Pearsall Is Making Surprising Progress That Could Shift the Season.QQ
John Lynch shares Ricky Pearsall making ‘positive progress’ amid injury recovery originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Key 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is trending in the right direction amid his recovery from the PCL injury he suffered in San Francisco’s Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
John Lynch, the 49ers’ president of football operations and general manager, revealed the latest on Pearsall, who has missed the last four games, during his appearance on KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” on Thursday.
“He’s still working off to the side,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “What I can tell you is those PCL injuries — that seems to be the injury of the 49ers this year, and they can be very stubborn. I had one during my career; they can linger a little. It’s an injury Puka Nacua had a year ago, and it lasted some weeks. Ricky’s doing his best to get back. He is making steady progress.”
It appears Pearsall is closer to a return than an extended stay on the sidelines.
And if Nacua’s recovery — during which he missed five games during the 2024 NFL season — is any indication of Pearsall’s future, then San Francisco’s wideout should be back soon.
Regardless, Lynch made it clear that the 49ers don’t want to rush Pearsall back, as his legs need to be fully healthy for him to be at his best.
“He plays a position — there’s other positions where maybe you can play not being at full speed — receiver’s a position you better be playing at full speed and have the ability to get in and out of breaks,” Lynch said. “Ricky’s doing a great job with the rehab. I can tell you that there’s been some positive progress, but he’s not quite there yet.
“Now, can he get there by Sunday? We’ll see. But he’s such a good football player. We’re surely missing him.”
Pearsall recorded 20 receptions for 327 yards over San Francisco’s first four games.
While his status remains unknown for the 49ers’ Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Lynch is confident that Pearsall will be back in the fold soon.
