49ers welcome shooting victim Ricky Pearsall back to practice

SANTA CLARA – Ricky Pearsall danced to the music, sprinted through warmups, and officially resumed practicing Monday for the first time since being shot through his chest Aug. 31 in an attempted robbery in San Francisco.

“I saw him warming up and I just started smiling, because I know how big of a factor he can be to this team,” right guard Dominick Puni said of his fellow rookie. “But more important, for his health and everything, it’s just awesome to see him out there after going through what he went through.”

The 49ers, five minutes before this brief practice, opened Pearsall’s three-week evaluation window to determine when and whether to activate him off the reserve/non-football injury list.

That off-roster designation is where he was stashed ahead of the Sept. 9 season opener, and after missing four games, he was eligible to return, but the 49ers were not compelled to rush his recovery from a death-defying gunshot wound through his upper-right chest outside a Union Square store.

As teammates circled around Fred Warner for a pre-practice message, Pearsall was summoned to break down their huddle, and coach Kyle Shanahan had Pearsall do the same once he concluded Monday’s one-hour session back on the field. Pearsall embraced his heralded return rather than linger any longer in the shadows.

“He’s never embarrassed. He’s just taking in the moment again,” Puni said. “It was cool to see him back there with the ones (first string) offense running routes. He adds another element to the offense.”

While that offense continues to await the season debut of running back Christian McCaffrey (Achilles; injured reserve), Brock Purdy is able to target Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Jauan Jennings, so there is no immediate urgency to rush in Pearsall, who’s spent the past six weeks observing practice with a football in his hands or doing individual conditioning on the side with a trainer.

The 49ers (3-3) can activate Pearsall onto the 53-man roster and suit him up in his No. 14 jersey for Sunday’s visit to Levi’s Stadium by the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (3-3).

Pearsall has not formally spoken to the media since being shot, nor was he made available after Monday’s practice when the locker room opened to reporters. Teammates gladly spoke on his behalf.

“We want to get him adjusted and hopefully he can make some plays for us,” rookie safety Malik Mustapha said. “… He’s very detailed, he can run after the catch and he’s a playmaker. To see him do that to the other teams that we face is going to be a good thing for us.”

“One thing I notice about Ricky is he has a high energy about him, where he just likes to be around people, likes to have fun, likes to compete and to push others,” rookie wide receiver Jacob Cowing said. “He just has that ‘It’ factor about him where he comes in every day and grinds hard.”

Pearsall, 24, was the 49ers’ first-round draft pick in April. He missed significant action in training camp due to injuries preceding the Aug. 31 shooting.

A hamstring issue, which occurred while training on his own this summer, kept him out of the first four practices. He missed an ensuing three weeks after partially separating his left shoulder for the third time in the past few years, including once this past spring toward the end of the 49ers’ offseason program.

Pearsall appeared to have on a left-shoulder harness for support under his red, No. 14 jersey Monday, complemented by white gloves and white leggings underneath black shorts.

The bullet that pierced Pearsall’s chest went through his back without striking any vital organs, and he was discharged from San Francisco General Hospital after an overnight stay. The suspect, a 17-year-old from Tracy, was charged with attempted murder and two other felonies from the incident in which he was shot in his arm upon struggling with Pearsall.

Said Puni: “He was real cool when I met him the first time, and he’s still the same person. Now the only difference is he’s just real grateful for everything.”

The 49ers have preached patience for his comeback both from a physical and mental standpoint.

For comparison’s sake, Washington running back Brian Robinson was shot in the leg just days ahead of the 2022 opener as a rookie, and after missing four games, he was eased back into action with nine carries (22 yards) in 18 snaps in his Week 5 debut. He’s started 29 games since then for the Commanders.

Monday’s “bonus” practice was intended to wake up the 49ers’ bodies after a three-day break, having beaten the Seattle Seahawks 36-24 on Thursday night.