Ricky Pearsall's Injury Forces him to Miss out on a Great Opportunity

Ricky Pearsall sustaining an injury now is extremely unfortunate since he will miss a great opportunity when the 49ers open up training camp. Here is why.

May 10, 2024; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) smiles during the 49ers rookie minicamp at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. Mandatory Credit: Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Kupbens-USA TODAY Sports

It hasn't been the best week for the San Francisco 49ers.

First it was the trade request from Brandon Aiyuk, then was the placement of rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall to the non-football injury list. The 49ers now look primed to be without two of their top five receivers when training camp kicks off on July 23.

Aiyuk is most likely going to hold out of training camp or maybe he even holds in. Either way, I don't see him participating in camp anytime soon until he signs a contract extension. This feels like it is going to go deep into camp like it did with Nick Bosa last year.

That is why Pearsall is the real loser in this. His injury comes at such an unfortunate time because it forces him to miss out on the great opportunity of absorbing the reps for Aiyuk. This would've been his time to shine and really sway the coaches to see if he is a player that they can grant a larger role in the offense.

Now, it is unclear how long Pearsall will be on the NFI list and what exactly his injury is. He did participate in minicamp with a blue no-contact jersey, which indicates he's carrying an injury. Perhaps that injury popped up again. Whatever the case, Pearsall needs to get back on the field as soon as he is permitted.

By no means should he force it if he's not fully fit, but for his sake, he better hope it isn't anything too serious where he misses substantial time. All of those reps for Aiyuk certainly would've gone to him or at least a good portion of them would've helped in his development. Once Aiyuk returns, he's never going to see the same amount of reps.

I guess we'll soon find out when the 49ers officially open training camp next week as to what it is that is ailing Pearsall and for how long he'll be out for.