What 49ers' Ricky Pearsall's Latest Injury Says About Him

The 49ers have to start accepting the cold hard truth about Ricky Pearsall.

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) stiff arms Tennessee Titans cornerback Marcus Harris (26) during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The game plan for the San Francisco 49ers against the Tennessee Titans was clear as day.

They wanted to get Ricky Pearsall involved. He hadn't done anything productively since returning to the starting lineup in Week 11. The Titans were a perfect opponent to kickstart him.

Sure enough, he played incredibly well, reeling in six catches for 96 yards. It's Pearsall's best game of the season since Week 3. Unfortunately, Pearsall was battling through injuries in that game.

On his first catch, a hip drop tackle caused him to sustain an ankle sprain. Then, he aggravated his PCL sprain that kept him out for six games on his final catch of the game.

Ricky Pearsall is entering unfortunate territory

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Pearsall's status will be up in the air when the 49ers face the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night. As a result, he's back to entering injury-prone territory.

It is a reality that the 49ers must begin to acknowledge to themselves. No one can refute this any longer. Pearsall has missed six games already this season and is likely going to miss a seventh this week.

The guy just cannot stay healthy. He's becoming unreliable, if not already. It's insanely unfortunate because he's a talented player. For him to play on a hobbled foot and play well is impressive.

But the rate at which he gets injured is frustrating. The 49ers have to be concerned with that. Every time everything is looking great with him, an injury pops up to bring him down and hold him back.

November 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) reacts against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

“I mean, there is a concern," Kyle Shanahan said of Pearsall's injuries. "The ankle was a tough ankle injury, but that it checked out that it wasn't a high and he was able to get through the game is somewhat encouraging. I mean, that shouldn't rule him out for this week, but that combined with the knee, I mean, he aggravated it."

It's best if the 49ers sit Pearsall against the Colts, but he may want to play through the injury. His PCL is always going to be at risk of being aggravated again until he gets to the offseason.

Anytime he gets tackled, it's a coin flip as to whether or not he gets hurt. Whether he misses a game or not, Pearsall is no less than a borderline injury-prone player.

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