RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Ricky Pearsall has been a disappointment since the San Francisco 49ers selected him 31st overall in 2024.
He's appeared in only 20 of 34 possible games due to multiple injuries, and now he's set to miss the entire 2026 season with a lingering PCL issue from last year.
But he's far from the only 49ers receiver banged up right now. With Pearsall out, expectations were that second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling would help carry the load alongside the team's marquee offseason additions, Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. The 49ers also just brought back former All-Pro Deebo Samuel on a one-year, $7 million deal.
However, as San Francisco enters its second week of training camp in Santa Clara, injuries at the position are piling up fast.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported Monday that Stribling, Kirk, and Evans will all sit out practice with different injuries. Kirk has missed multiple sessions with a calf strain, Stribling has been dealing with hamstring tightness, and Evans — the newest addition to the injury list — is managing a quad strain.
The issues aren't limited to the receiver room, either. Rookie running back Kaelon Black also sat out Monday's practice with an adductor injury, and Jordan James broke a rib during practice last week.
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It's still early in the preseason, but Brock Purdy's receiving options are thinning quickly. San Francisco made the position a priority this offseason, bringing in Evans — a future Hall of Famer — to give Purdy a proven WR1 with championship pedigree, along with Kirk, a vertical threat who can stretch the field. Stribling was also one of the top-rated receiver prospects in the 2026 draft class out of Ole Miss.
With Jauan Jennings now in Minnesota and Brandon Aiyuk likely having played his last snaps in San Francisco — and perhaps in the NFL — it was clear the 49ers needed to get Purdy more weapons. Add in George Kittle's recovery from a torn Achilles, and the need for a healthy receiving corps becomes even more apparent.
There's still plenty of time before Week 1, and this is a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations — what happens in August won't define their season. But with so many new pieces to integrate, every practice rep counts.
The 49ers open the preseason Thursday, Aug. 13, against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium.
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