The San Francisco 49ers took two major roster swings on Friday, but only one of them came with good news.
The team officially announced a one-year deal with Deebo Samuel, bringing back a familiar playmaker after his 2025 season with the Commanders. Samuel returns to the franchise that drafted him in 2019, and his track record speaks for itself: 406 catches for 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns, plus 1,218 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns over seven NFL seasons.
The other move was a brutal one for Ricky Pearsall. San Francisco placed the receiver on injured reserve for the entire year, ending his 2026 season before it could begin.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported, “WR Ricky Pearsall, who has been bothered by a PCL injury, is having surgery to repair the ligament, procedure that ends his season, GM John Lynch announced. A frustrating outcome for SF.”
Pearsall, the 31st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was supposed to grow into a major piece of the offense. Instead, injuries have kept interrupting his progress.
He has already missed 14 games across his first two NFL seasons. In 2025, though, he showed what he could do when healthy, catching 36 passes for 528 yards in nine starts.
San Francisco had hoped Pearsall would take on a bigger role alongside Brandon Aiyuk, but that plan has not come together since last year. Aiyuk is also set to leave after injuries and contract issues. To help fortify the receiver room, the 49ers added Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency, drafted De’Zhaun Stribling in round two, and still have Demarcus Robinson on the roster.
With Pearsall now sidelined, Samuel is back in the middle of the mix, this time as part of a new-look group led by Evans.
In Other News...
49ers WR Changes Number Sparking Deebo Samuel Return Buzz
A small but telling jersey shuffle at 49ers camp has only added to the anticipation around Deebo Samuels return. Jacob Cowing has moved from No. 19 to No. 6, opening the door for Samuel to potentially reclaim the number he wore during his earlier run in San Francisco, a detail that instantly caught the attention of fans who have been watching for signs of how the wide receiver will fit back into the lineup.
Samuel wore No. 1 during his 2024 season and stint in Washington, so a switch back would bring him closer to the look he had in his first 49ers chapter. The same round of number changes also sent rookie Romello Height back to No. 94 after a brief stop at No. 58, which is now with veteran Quinton Bell, a reminder that even the smallest roster details can stir up a little buzz when a familiar star is involved. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Core Is Suddenly Carrying A Pressure Fans Can Feel
The 49ers enter 2026 carrying a familiar kind of weight, only heavier now because so much of it sits on the same veteran core. After bringing back Deebo Samuel and keeping other experienced pieces in place, San Francisco now has the oldest average roster in the NFL, a sign of both continuity and urgency as the franchise tries to stay in the championship hunt. It is the sort of roster construction that reflects confidence in proven names, but also leaves little room for mistakes as age becomes part of the conversation.
Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and George Kittle remain central to everything the 49ers want to do, yet each is also dealing with significant injuries, which only sharpens the concern around durability. For a team built to contend now, that reality matters because the window to chase another Super Bowl with this group is not endless. The question hanging over the season is whether this veteran-heavy core can hold together long enough to make one more run before the organization has to think about what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Just Put New Pressure On The Battle Behind Deebo
Day 5 of 49ers training camp brought the usual mix of encouraging snaps and nagging reminders of how quickly a roster can shift in late July. One returning player drew attention for looking lighter and more active in his first practice with San Francisco in two years, while other drills were shaped by a cornerback making plays on the ball and an interior pass rusher standing out in the trenches. Even with coaching closely involved and the pace of camp picking up, the broader picture remained one of evaluation, with a few bodies already missing and the team trying to sort out where the depth really stands.
Ricky Pearsalls season-ending PCL injury only sharpens the stakes for everything happening behind Deebo Samuel, because San Francisco no longer has the luxury of treating that part of the receiver room as a distant depth chart battle. The 49ers were already watching another player sit out with hamstring tightness, and camp now feels like the kind of setting where every rep matters a little more than usual. For a team built to contend, the early stress test at receiver is about more than one practice impression. It is about whether the next answers can show up soon enough. [Read more 🡒]