The San Francisco 49ers can’t seem to catch a break with Ricky Pearsall’s knee, and now a prominent NFL insider is putting a spotlight on just how serious the situation might be.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, in his latest camp report, didn’t sugarcoat things when discussing the wide receiver’s status.
Albert Breer Raises Alarm Over Ricky Pearsall’s Knee Setback
“There’s real concern with Ricky Pearsall’s setback with his PCL, an injury that he first suffered last September, he had to manage through the season, and one that swelled up earlier this week,” Breer wrote on Sports Illustrated.
Breer’s observation also aligns with the 49ers’ own stance after Pearsall missed Wednesday’s third practice of training camp due to swelling in the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The Niners have acknowledged “concern” about the flare-up and said they’re “exploring all options,” language that could suggest surgery is on the table.
This isn’t a new problem, as Pearsall first hurt the knee back in a Week 4 loss to Jacksonville last September. From there, it turned into a season-long saga.
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He missed six straight games before returning in mid-November against Arizona, then reaggravated things a few weeks later against Tennessee, this time banging up his ankle as well.
More absences followed, and he closed out the year without a single catch in the Divisional Round loss to Seattle. All told, Pearsall played just 10 games and finished with 36 catches for 528 yards and no touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Network’s 2025 Wide Receiver Impact Rankings, Pearsall posted a 71.6 grade, with a 16.7% target share and +0.50 EPA per target. It’s a snapshot of a player who flashed real ability when healthy but never got the chance to build consistency.
Now entering his third season, Pearsall was supposed to take a leap. Instead, camp has opened with more uncertainty. Breer noted that the 2024 first-round pick is “expected to take another step,” which makes his availability all the more important for an offense that’s counting on him.
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Complicating matters further, fellow wideout Christian Kirk is also “banged up,” dealing with a calf issue that’s kept him out of practice as well. That leaves San Francisco without two of what were expected to be its top three receivers to open camp, a rough spot for any offense trying to build chemistry in July.
With Pearsall and Kirk sidelined, other names are getting extra reps. Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling all saw increased opportunities on Wednesday.
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak sounded upbeat about that group’s progress. “They’re getting better,” Kubiak said. “I’ve just seen a lot of growth across the board. Those guys come out every day with the right mindset. They’re on their assignments, they’re working, they’re competing.”
Kubiak added that he’s excited to see how the competition shakes out. “It’s going to be fun to watch that room kind of become what it does over this next however many weeks of training camp,” he said. “It’s one of the positions where we have a lot of competition and I’m excited to see where it goes.”
Still, no amount of depth fully replaces a healthy, productive Pearsall. If his knee issue lingers into the regular season, or worse, requires surgery, San Francisco’s receiver room could look very different from what was expected heading into Week 1.
