By John Rigolizzo
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall is optimistic about the Niners’ receiver room despite a bevy of injuries.
Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from a dual ACL-MCL tear he suffered in October; Jauan Jennings is sidelined with a calf injury; Russell Gage has an MCL sprain; DeMarcus Robinson will serve a suspension for DUI; and rookie Jordan Watkins has a high ankle sprain. But the 49ers also have veterans Robbie Chosen and Skyy Moore to lead a young corps. Pearsall said Thursday that the pressure to perform is part of the game, no matter who is in the room.
“I think it’s just definitely not normal,” Pearsall said of all the injuries. “It’s definitely different, and we all know that, but that’s OK, you know. It’s not always going to be the same. Life’s full of adversity, life’s full of different changes. It’s just about how you react and what you’re going to do from that. We can sit there and be like, ‘OK, we’re short of numbers. We’re thin.’ And we can complain about it or we can put our heads down and go to work.”
With Aiyuk, Jennings, and Gage all sidelined, the room is very thin and very young. Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are the only contributors from last season currently active; Pearsall was last year’s first-round pick, while Cowing was a fourth-round pick. The team signed journeyman Isaiah Hodgins in January. In August, the team signed journeymen Chosen and Malik Knowles, and 2024 UFL star Malik Turner. The team also has 2024 undrafted free agent Terique Owens—the son of Hall of Famer Terrell Owens—and 2025 seventh-round pick Junior Bergen on the roster.
This week, the Niners sent a sixth-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Moore and a seventh-rounder.
Even without Aiyuk and Jennings on the field, Pearsall said he can still lean on them off the field.
“Those are two leaders in the room. … It’s really good to have those guys still in the room, even though they’re out, and hearing feedback from [those] guys.”
He also values the opportunity to be a leader himself.
“I always try to be a leader in the room, no matter what room I step in,” he said.
Pearsall had high praise for Chosen, who previously played for the Jets, Panthers, Cardinals, and Dolphins, and was a camp body with the team in 2024.
“Robbie, he’s a good cat. He actually was just talking to us when we were breaking down at the end, and he was just giving us some words of wisdom. I think this is his 10th year now, and so he’s got a lot of experience. He’s had a lot of success. He had a year where he went for a thousand yards. So he’s been there. He’s done it.”
“He’s a burner,” Pearsall added. “He’s a speedster. He still has speed to this day.”
Pearsall has had a strong camp and built a rapport with quarterback Brock Purdy. He reflected on the work he has done so far this preseason.
“It’s been a pretty strong three-week stretch,” he said. “I think a lot of the work is paying off, and I’m getting more comfortable with offense, and I think it’s showing.”
The second-year wideout said it takes a long time and an intentional work ethic to get comfortable with the offense. But he said he is at a point with Purdy that he considers “natural,” where they no longer need to talk to each other much because they are comfortable with each other’s timing.
He added that there was not a moment when it suddenly clicked, nor do they currently think they are entirely on the same page. He said they try not to be complacent if they have a good day, because it can all go wrong the next day if they feel too comfortable.
Pearsall has had his own struggles with injury. He dealt with shoulder and hamstring problems in his rookie offseason, then suffered a gunshot wound during an attempted robbery that kept him off the field until October. He had another hamstring injury crop up during the offseason program.
