A major reinforcement could be on the way for the San Francisco 49ers defense. Just over three months after he suffered a devastating ankle injury, linebacker Fred Warner returned to practice on Tuesday. And, shockingly, he is not ruling out availability for Saturday’s divisional round game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Such a speedy recovery is a remarkable feat for Warner, who was initially deemed out for the season when he broke and dislocated his ankle in Week 6 against the Bucs. Warner underwent surgery after teammate Ji’Ayir Brown rolled up on his leg and twisted his ankle at an awkward angle.
“We’re taking it day by day,” Warner said Wednesday when asked if he anticipated playing this weekend. “I think they said last week they weren’t going to open my [practice] window, and then my window is now open. So we’re just taking it day by day.”
Warner was part of the wave of injuries that devastated the 49ers early in the year. Defensive end Nick Bosa was lost for the season due to a torn ACL he suffered in Week 3, and key contributors including quarterback Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall also missed time. Star tight end George Kittle saw his campaign come to a close in the Wild Card round when he tore an Achilles tendon.
Despite the poor injury luck, San Francisco stands just two wins away from the Super Bowl.
If Warner returns to the lineup this weekend, he would bolster a defense that seems to be rounding back into prime form. The 49ers surrendered a modest 19 points to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round and gave up just 13 points to the Seahawks in the season finale. But things have not always been so bright in Warner’s absence.
“I feel amazing,” Warner said. “Just so grateful, blessed to be back. I think, obviously, when all this happened, I didn’t really think about the possibility of returning in-season. But the way things progressed and being able to have this opportunity to be back with my teammates, have a chance at helping them win this week and so on and so forth, that’s my only goal moving forward.”
While the injury dashed his chances of securing first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in six seasons, Warner has a chance to rewrite an otherwise lost season. He is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and would contribute immense amounts of leadership and playmaking ability to the middle of the defense if he suits up before the postseason run is over.
“Fred’s the ultimate energy-giver, so just having him out there is awesome,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said. “Yesterday was a little bit more tempo down, but today obviously with higher tempo it’ll be fun to get him out there, see him running around.”
Warner had not missed a game in his career prior to the injury. If he does not play again this year, he will finish with a career-low 51 tackles, two tackles for loss and three passes defended.
