49ers anticipate bigger role for Jauan Jennings; Ricky Pearsall reflects on first NFL TD

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who missed the last two games due to a hip injury, returned to the lineup on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had an impressive performance, finishing with seven catches for a game-high 93 yards. With Brandon Aiyuk out for the rest of the season, Jennings is expected to play a prominent role in the offense moving forward.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed how significant it was to have Jennings back, calling the receiver's return "huge."

"Jauan's been a stud all year," Shanahan told reporters after the game. "He's been a stud his whole career here. Especially losing B.A., we needed to get Jauan back in a starting position, and this is his first time ever playing X position, which he'll be doing the rest of the year. So he did a hell of a job."

Jennings now has 497 receiving yards this season, averaging 15.5 yards per catch, solidifying himself as a reliable target for quarterback Brock Purdy. With rookie Ricky Pearsall, veteran Deebo Samuel, and the return of running back Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers are optimistic that this group can help ignite the offense in the second half of the season.

Pearsall's first trip into the end zone

Meanwhile, Pearsall scored his first NFL touchdown just 10 weeks after being shot in the chest during a robbery attempt in San Francisco. His impressive 46-yard catch and run, fighting his way into the end zone, gave the 49ers their first points of the game.

Pearsall shared that a similar missed play earlier in the game fueled his determination to score.

"It was a pass breakup on that one," Pearsall explained. "It was a little behind me in the same spot, and the DB broke it up. So we definitely wanted to get that one back. So, I had a similar route to that. Me, personally, I wanted to get it back. And so on that one, we connected on that. And then after that, it was just make a play with the ball in my hands, get in the end zone, get my first [touchdown]."

As for what he plans to do with the football from his first score, Pearsall said, "I'll probably just hang it up somewhere in the room. I probably should start a little memorabilia area in my room or something."

Pearsall finished the game with four catches for a career-high 73 yards and the score, bringing his season total to 132 receiving yards over three games.

After missing significant time this season, the rookie acknowledged that he still needs to work on building chemistry with Purdy.

"I think the reason the pass was a little bit behind me on that first drive is because I cut it short," Pearsall admitted. "So, just getting on the same page on that. It's just going to get much, much better, and I've got more and more confidence going into it."