49ers WR Ricky Pearsall to have season-ending knee surgery - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers placed Ricky Pearsall on season-ending injured reserve Saturday as the wide receiver continues to deal with a posterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee.

Niners general manager John Lynch said Pearsall will have surgery in the next couple of weeks. The timeline for his recovery is six to 12 months, with nine months the potential sweet spot for a return.

Along with Pearsall landing on injured reserve, the Niners announced the signing of wideout Deebo Samuel to a one-year deal. Samuel took Pearsall's spot on the roster.

Pearsall, 25, has been dealing with the PCL issue off and on since Week 4 of last season when he first injured it in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That injury cost Pearsall all or parts of 10 games last season and led to conversations about whether to have surgery this offseason.

The 49ers and Pearsall opted against surgery in hopes that rest and rehab would allow him to get back to full strength. But Pearsall dealt with swelling after a few days of training camp, and the team said Wednesday it had some «concern» and was exploring «all options» on the next steps for Pearsall.

«You obviously are doing your due diligence,» Lynch said. «We reevaluated after [the season], and the consensus was that that wasn't the step to take. He did well throughout the offseason, ran into some other road bumps. At that point between all the docs that we consulted… the decision was made. As [team physician] Tim [McAdams] said, it's declared itself. And the course of action that everyone felt was appropriate was having surgery.»

After just three training camp practices, Pearsall's third season is over before it could even begin. This figured to be a pivotal year for