The San Francisco 49ers are about to debut Ricky Pearsall, who was shot in a robbery a month and a half ago.

One of the most sensational NFL debuts of the season is likely to take place on Sunday. The San Francisco 49ers announced that Ricky Pearsall will play in the rematch of the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The wide receiver was drafted at the 31st position, which fueled rumors of a departure of Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk. Both will continue to play for the Californians, but on Sunday they will get the support of Pearsall.

“He’s practiced all week. It was great to see him out there. I think the guys are really happy for him to be back,” coach Kyle Shanahan said before the game against the Chiefs.

The debut is all the more special because Pearsall didn’t suffer just any injury; he was the victim of a robbery. On August 31, he was shot in the chest by an attacker just 17 years old during a scuffle. Pearsall was lucky: the bullet exited his back without injuring any vital organs.

Three days after the incident, the 49ers put the first-rounder on the non-football injury list. He should be given all the time he needs to recover. So now the 24-year-old is back in the squad and faces the first NFL game of his career.

The Niners will be without star receiver Jauan Jennings on Sunday, who has already missed the last three training sessions due to a hip injury.

According to Shanahan, running back Jordan Mason and pass receiver Deebo Samuel are back to full strength after only being able to train to a limited extent for most of the week.