49ers’ Ricky Pearsall will take huge step forward in football return after gunshot wound to chest

It's been six weeks since Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery, and he's about to take a big step forward in his eventual return to the field.

Pearsall will practice for the first time since the incident Monday, when the San Francisco 49ers open Pearsall's 21-day window to return to game action.

That is not to say Pearsall will play this year.

The window is the time frame during which the 49ers will have to decide whether to bring Pearsall back from injured reserve or leave him there for the rest of the season.

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However, considering the timing of the decision and the improvements he has made, it does seem likely the Niners intend to bring him back.

"Health-wise and everything, he's totally good to go, but I really won't decide that stuff until we start watching him practice," San Fran head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday. "But we're not going to rush it. If he's ready, he's ready. If he's not, we've got a few weeks."

Pearsall was shot in the chest in San Francisco's Union Square Aug. 31, allegedly by a 17-year-old who tried to rob him of his Rolex watch.

Pearsall was in stable condition when he was admitted to a hospital and was released the following day. He was working out at the team's complex that same week.

Pearsall dealt with nagging injuries during training camp that forced him to miss all three preseason games. 

The suspect has been charged with three felonies — attempted murder with enhancing allegations of intentional discharge of a firearm and personal use of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and attempted second-degree robbery.

The Niners are 3-3 and have dealt with injuries all year. Christian McCaffrey hasn't played this season. He's dealing with Achilles tendinitis in both legs.

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