Fred Warner injury: 49ers star LB returns to practice, but ruled out of divisional round
Just three months after suffering a serious ankle injury, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Fred Warner returned to practice on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he said he would not rule out Saturday’s divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks.
On Thursday, however, coach Kyle Shanahan said that Warner will not play – not because of any setback, but because he is not ready to return to the game. Shanahan said he hopes Warner has put himself in a position to play in the NFC Championship Game if the 49ers beat Seattle, but added, “We’ll see if it works out.”
The quick recovery is a remarkable feat for Warner, who was considered out for the season when he broke his ankle in Week 6 against the Bucs. Warner underwent surgery after teammate Ji’Ayir Brown rolled his leg and twisted his ankle the wrong way.
“We’re taking it day by day,” Warner said Wednesday when asked if he expected to play this weekend. “I think they said last week they wouldn’t open mine [practice] window, and my window is open. So we just take it day by day. “
Warner was part of the wave of injuries that devastated the 49ers earlier this year. Defensive end Nick Bosa is 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 an end in the Wild Card round when he tore his Achilles tendon.
Despite the bad luck of injuries, San Francisco has only won two Super Bowls.
The 49ers gave up 19 points to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round and gave up just 13 points to the Seahawks in the season finale, impressive feats after struggling most of the season following Warner’s injury.
“I feel amazing,” Warner said. “I’m very thankful, I’m blessed to be back. I think, obviously, when all this happened, I didn’t think I could come back in the middle of the season. But the way things went and to be able to get this opportunity to come back with my teammates, to have the opportunity to help them win this week and so on, that’s my only goal going forward.”
While the injury hampered his chances of earning first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth straight year and the fifth time in six seasons, Warner has a chance to rewrite the lost season if the 49ers can win one more game. He is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and can provide a great deal of leadership and playmaking ability in the middle of the defense.
“Fred is a great energy provider, so having him out is amazing,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Wednesday. “Yesterday it was a very low tempo, but today obviously with a high tempo it will be nice to get him out there, to see him run.”
Warner had never missed a game in his career before the injury. If he doesn’t play again this year, he’ll finish with 51 tackles, two for a loss and three passes defensed.
