Kyle Shanahan calls 49ers' Ricky Pearsall 'a true number one' wide receiver

The San Francisco 49ers have been without their core offense for the majority of the season, and finally, in Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals, the band is back together.

Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings, and Ricky Pearsall are all on the field for the first time since Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, during an appearance on NBC Sports 49ers Talk, had some very high praise for Pearsall amid his return. Shanahan called Pearsall "a true number one" wide receiver.

49ers' Kyle Shanahan calls Ricky Pearsall a 'true number one' WR

"The way Ricky was playing before he got hurt, I mean, he was playing like a true number one receiver in this league," Shanahan said. "Really playing like the guy that we wanted to draft."

This is some very lofty praise from Shanahan. He's not utilized a wide receiver like a true number one yet this season, as Jennings and Pearsall have both been banged up, and Brandon Aiyuk has yet to play in 2025.

But when Pearsall was on the field for San Francisco, he acted like a true number one receiver. In Week 1, he had four catches for 108 yards. Week 2, he had four catches for 56 yards.

Week 3, Pearsall had his best performance of the year, hauling in eight of his 11 targets for 117 yards. Finally, in Week 4, he had four catches for 46 yards before sustaining the knee injury, which kept him out for a while.

More: 49ers' Kyle Shanahan reveals incredible Ricky Pearsall news ahead of Week 11

Pearsall hasn't played since Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he's finally making his return, as he and Purdy return to the offense in Week 11 for their matchup against the Cardinals.

Before missing a significant amount of time, Pearsall had 20 catches for 327 yards and no touchdowns. While not an incredible stat line, it was enough for Shanahan to believe in Pearsall as a number one receiver.

The entire 49ers offense is back and ready to go for Week 11 against the Cardinals. And if Shanahan's comments are any indication, Pearsall will act as the team's number one wide receiver in his first game back in the San Francisco offense.

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