49ers mailbag: Season-opening concerns linger over Pearsall, Williams

SANTA CLARA — As I enter my 25th season covering the 49ers and the NFL, I can always rely on passionate fans for questions, even before the first win, loss, or regulation tie (like the Niners’ unspoken last game). Make sure to bookmark my social-media channels on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to have your say going forward:

What is the doctor’s perspective on when Ricky Pearsall can play again? (@49ers_dude)

Dr. Nirav Pandya, a UCSF sports medicine specialist, cautioned that recoveries vary for gunshot victims. “In general when we see athletes who haven’t broken a bone and not any major joint injury, they’re usually landing at four to six weeks,” Dr. Pandya said Wednesday on 95.7 The Game. “It’s just like any other soft-tissue injury. You need to get that area healed.”

Pearsall is ruled out at least the first four games because the 49ers put him on the reserve/Non-Football Injury list Monday, 48 hours after he was shot in the chest by an attempted robber in San Francisco’s Union Square. Hospitalized just Saturday night, Pearsall was mingling with teammates Monday and Tuesday by the 49ers’ weight room, where he was spotted talking Tuesday to coach Kyle Shanahan before practice.

“The tough thing is: how confident are you going to be?” Pandya added. “Getting a blow to that area, even though it’s not necessarily a muscular issue, what does that raise mentally and emotionally, because I’ve seen athletes struggle with that when they get back on the field.”

Is Trent in top shape? (@c.sipiora)

Left tackle Trent Williams always looks ready to bully an opponent (see: 49ers’ front office that yielded $48 million in guarantees on his new three-year, $82.7 million deal). Williams skipped training camp and instead worked diligently in Houston. “Me and my trainer James Cooper locked in early and changed some stuff, little things in my life I’d have to weed out anyway going forward being an older guy,” said Williams, who’s expected to play Monday night (to answer what @juniorv408 asked).

Keep in mind this line from offensive line coach Chris Foerster last month: “The most tired I’ve ever seen NFL players is when they come to the sideline after the first drive of the first game. No matter how hard they’ve conditioned, no matter how hard they’ve trained, they’ve never competed full-speed competition (until then).”

How many rushes is Deebo getting a week? (@israelpedoGroup)

Deebo Samuel has averaged 3.1 carries per game since his 2021 All-Pro breakthrough. That seems a fair expectation, with the 49ers possibly leaning on him more while easing Brandon Aiyuk into action. However, rookie Jacob Cowing also could get a carry or two on those jet sweeps and end-around runs, since he figures to suit up as the punt returner.

Do the players hear all of the negative takes coming from some of the content creators who cover the team? Do you sense that they take some of it personally? (@Michael21985873)

Some players pay attention and keep receipts. Some can’t avoid hearing chatter because they’ll get asked about negative storylines. Some ditch social media entirely during the season.

Brock Purdy, appearing on The Rich Eisen Show this week, said Samuel filled him in last November on a bizarre, backward-hat critique from Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd. Said Purdy:”Deebo came up and was, ‘Dude, they’re saying you can’t be a franchise quarterback if you are wearing your hat backward.’ I’m like, ‘Dang, bro, they’re saying that?’ I’ve got my news sources in the locker room with some of the guys, but we laugh about it and we know what’s real and what matters most.”

What are realistic expectations for Puni starting as a rookie in the trenches? (@localgoober_)

You mean: “Bigger Dom” Puni. The 49ers appear to have found a gem with Puni, a third-rounder who moved into the first-string unit on Day 3 of camp and took ownership of the right guard spot. Monday night, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams will be a huge test, more so than ex-49ers Javon Kinlaw and Solomon Thomas. The overall expectation is Puni already has NFL strength and could be an upgrade over from last year’s platoon of Jon Feliciano and Spencer Burford.

Will Kinlaw get his revenge for being traded? (@fabian2solid)

Kinlaw, the 49ers’ top draft pick in 2020, was not traded. Rather, his rookie contract expired because the 49ers did not pick up his fifth-year option to retain his rights like they did with Brandon Aiyuk. Kinlaw battled right-knee issues throughout his 49ers career. He played 544 snaps last season and had a career-high 3 1/2 sacks, enticing the Jets to take a one-year, $7.3 million flier on him.

Does The Last Dance season end with a Super Bowl win? (@taurus33333)

First, I am not in the “Last Dance” camp. This franchise is not blowing up in six months. Second, I am rolling with my prediction from last Feb. 11: the 49ers will beat the Chargers 36-21 in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans (if Brock Purdy, Justin Herbert, and the Bosa brothers all stay healthy).

Niners win by 17? (@vb_bassist)

Sure. Now, do the Niners win 17 games this regular season? Better alert the 1972 Miami Dolphins.