The importance of second-year pro Ricky Pearsall’s return isn’t lost on 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

After beginning training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Pearsall was activated on Sunday and enjoyed his first work of San Francisco training camp. Pearsall had been nursing a hamstring injury.

Afterwards, Shanahan shared how excited the club was to have Pearsall back in the fold.

“It was nice. Yeah, his rep count was really low. I think he got like eight reps today, but we’ll see how he did with recovery and stuff. But I didn’t hear any complaints and good first day back,” Shanahan said.

The 49ers still don’t have a timetable on a return for star receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ leading receiver from last season, Jauan Jennings, exited Sunday’s practice early with a calf injury. Jennings has reportedly been angling for a new contract as well.

All of that ramps up the importance of Pearsall taking a step forward in 2025 and that starts with his availability during training camp.

“Yeah, anybody who can make it through camp and doesn’t have setbacks, it’s going to always put them in a much better position. That’s what I love. Working and practicing things get you better and when you’re hurt you can’t and it’s frustrating for guys, but he overcame that last year.

“If things happen this year, he will overcome that too, but that’s why he is prepared so hard for this to try to get his body in a position to be able to make it through camp. And I know he had a setback in OTAs with his hamstring, but he’s worked as hard as anyone this offseason and hopefully have some better luck,” Shanahan said.

Pearsall missed the first six games of last season after being shot during an attempted robbery.

The 6-foot-3, 189-pound receiver played in 11 games, started four and caught 31 passes for 400 yards and three scores during his rookie campaign. A big chunk of that production came during San Francisco’s final two games of 2024 when Pearsall reeled in 14 catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers news: Ricky Pearsall’s return to practice an important step