More than a year has passed since the 49ers picked Ricky Pearsall and in Year 2, he’s no longer off the radar. The ex-Florida wide receiver is now at the center of a wide receiver shake-up in San Francisco, and everyone’s watching to see if he can grab hold of the chance. The attention isn’t just due to expectation, it’s due to timing. Deebo Samuel is gone. Brandon Aiyuk is a question mark. And Pearsall, though polished, hasn’t really put Kyle Shanahan in a bind.
“49ers still haven’t allowed Ricky Pearsall to take a rep in 1-on-1 drills yet,” team insider Grant Cohn tweeted out from camp this week. That statement uttered in a straight-shooting manner said volumes about Pearsall’s situation. For a second-year wide receiver with a first-round label, being kept out of competitive 1-on-1 reps is abnormal. Whether it’s the result of injury management, performance issues, or trust issues, Pearsall’s absence from the most teachable portion of camp is provoking more questions than answers.
The 49ers still haven’t let Ricky Pearsall take a rep in 1-on-1 drills yet.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) August 3, 2025
Kyle Shanahan hasn’t sounded worried, but his tone hasn’t exactly inspired confidence either. “We’re easing him back in,” the coach told reporters when asked about Pearsall’s recovery from a hamstring injury. Shanahan emphasized the injury wasn’t serious, but still placed Pearsall on a limited rep count even in non-contact periods. It’s the kind of slow-rolling approach that suggests caution. But for a player attempting to earn a significant role, it also implies that Pearsall hasn’t yet convinced the coaching staff.
The context for all of this? A wide receiver unit in transition. With Deebo Samuel off to Washington, the 49ers are in need of someone to fill the resulting production hole and Pearsall was thought to be part of the answer. Samuel never graded below 70.9 in any of his six seasons with San Francisco, according to PFF, and physicality was a staple of the offense. Pearsall possesses a different skill set route-running fluidity, soft hands, vertical pop, but hasn’t been able to translate that into camp fuel. And in a crowded setting with veterans and young upstarts, the patience is growing thin.
Purdy dealing with timing issues as offense bogs down in camp
As the Pearsall talk heats up, it’s not the lone cloud over San Francisco’s offense. Quarterback Brock Purdy, off a Pro Bowl season, is having trouble finding a rhythm in camp, and it’s not escaping anyone. Multiple practice reports this past week highlighted issues with timing and spacing, particularly in 11-on-11 sessions. Purdy threw multiple interceptions in red-zone drills on Tuesday and was nearly picked again the following morning by Ji’Ayir Brown, who broke hard on an underthrown out route. The chemistry that defined his breakout 2023 run has looked shaky.
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Some of the disparity probably stems from missing manpower. Aiyuk has been in and out of drills while the team eases his workload amidst contract uncertainty. George Kittle is also being eased back into action. Pearsall, who is supposed to handle the middle-intermediate zone routes, hasn’t been on the field regularly. That leaves Purdy working with mostly depth units, some of whom weren’t even on last season’s active roster. But the bigger concern is the incohesion of the red zone. The 49ers have been kept out of the end zone three out of their previous four full-team practices. It includes a disjointed Thursday session in which Purdy threw behind Jennings, Bell, and tight end Brayden Willis. Shanahan visibly vented frustration, stopping a segment to discuss spacing and motion alignment.
Purdy’s leash is neither short nor ought it be. He earned the benefit of the doubt for helping bring the team to the Super Bowl last season. But while the 49ers are putting in adjustments to make up for Deebo’s absence. The quarterback is being asked to adjust without the complete arsenal. And that’s been messy to date. If Pearsall were fully healthy and on the same page, maybe these wrinkles wouldn’t be so deep. But with the former Florida star not even participating in 1-on-1s. It’s difficult to envision him being a part of the solution at present. Rather, player and quarterback are caught up in a system presently missing its mark. And testing patience to the breaking point.
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