Battlehawks wide receiver Jahcour Pearson incited a wave of panic across St. Louis fans with an Instagram post showing himself on crutches after suffering a knee injury. The league posted on social media Wednesday that Pearson had been placed on injured reserve.
Coach Anthony Becht spoke to the media Wednesday afternoon stating that he will miss time, but that it appears he will be back at some point this season.
“He will be out for at least six weeks with the IR process,” said Becht. “We’ll hope to get him back as soon as possible…(he’s) a very, very talented skillful wide receiver that really brought a lot to the table for us. We’re going to miss him, but he’s going to rehab and he’ll get back with us as soon as we can and when he does, we’ll have a spot for him.”
Pearson was selected by the Battlehawks in the UFL Dispersal Draft back in January. He was one of the top receivers in the XFL last year with the Seattle Sea Dragons, leading the league in receptions (60) and yards (670) while adding four touchdowns. The league named him to its All-XFL team.
Back in college, Pearson played his first five seasons with Western Kentucky before transferring to Ole Miss in 2021. His best season came in 2019 with the Hilltoppers when he hauled in 76 receptions for 804 yards and seven scores.
While the loss will be felt by the team, there is still plenty of talent at wide receiver for St. Louis. Quarterback A.J. McCarron’s favorite target Hakeem Butler isn't going anywhere, and adding Marcell Ateman, Blake Jackson, Steven Mitchell and Darrius Shepherd to the picture makes the receiving core one of the best in the UFL — with or without Pearson.
First roster cutdowns for UFL teams are on Sunday, as teams will be required to go from 75 to 58 players. The Battlehawks face the Michigan Panthers in Detroit in Week 1 of the regular season on March 30.
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