Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh doesn’t think the San Francisco 49ers should keep waiting on Ricky Pearsall’s knee to cooperate. Instead, he pushed for a familiar face to return to the Bay Area and got his wish for the 49ers Thursday afternoon.
Pearsall was held out of 49ers training camp Wednesday with swelling in his right knee, the same knee that cost him eight games last season with a PCL injury. He’d made it through just two practices before being shut down again, and the team says it has no timeline for his return while it “evaluates all options” — language that could mean surgery for the young receiver.
It’s the latest setback in an injury-plagued start to Pearsall’s career. The 2024 first-round pick was shot in a robbery attempt before his rookie season, then battled a hamstring issue last summer before catching 20 passes for 327 yards in his first four games of 2025 — a hot start that ended in Week 4 with the knee injury that derailed his season. He finished with 36 catches for 528 yards and no touchdowns across nine games.
Houshmandzadeh, appearing on Speakeasy, said the pattern should be enough to make the 49ers look elsewhere for receiver support. He specifically mentioned Deebo Samuel, whom the 49ers traded to the Washington Commanders before the 2025 season. It turns out Houshmandzadeh was right on the mark, because a report surfaced Thursday evening about Samuel returning to San Francisco.
“Samuel… should be on his way. I can’t count on Ricky Pearsall. You can’t count on him. I can count on, and I know I can rely on Deebo Samuel,” Houshmandzadeh said. “When you’re a receiver, and you start having these lower-body injuries this early in training camp… we’re going to have to monitor this the rest of the season… So now let me go get somebody that I know can get it done. So Deebo, man, get ready to go back up to the Bay. At least that’s what should happen. ‘Cause I was saying this — they need him. They need somebody that’s proven.”
Samuel, 30, actually delivered a solid season in Washington, posting career-best availability with 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns on 99 targets across 16 games, plus 75 yards and a score on the ground. It was his healthiest season since 2021, the year he made his lone Pro Bowl with 1,405 receiving yards.
With Pearsall’s timeline murky and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling and veteran Demarcus Robinson already stepping into bigger camp reps, a reunion with Samuel was vital for the 49ers offense.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ex-NFL WR correctly predicted 49ers’ replacement for Ricky Pearsall
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Oliver G., Niners Wire | USA TODAY Network
