As if the 49ers didn’t have enough of their best players dealing with injuries already.
It turns out that another one of the San Francisco 49ers best players is managing a severe injury. On Wednesday, Niners linebacker Fred Warner revealed in a conversation with reporters that he has been dealing with a fractured bone in his ankle during San Francisco’s 30-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Week 4. Warner has not been listed on the team’s injury report in recent weeks, which feels like something that could lead the NFL to come snooping around the 49ers offices at some point in the near future.
“It’s something I deal with every game,” Warner told reporters. “I get on that table before every game and get it shot up every single game just to be able to roll. But it’s not an excuse. It’s just what it is. That’s the NFL. You’re not going to be healthy. You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to find ways to execute, to play at a high level and to win every single week.”
Warner missed the second half of the game against the Patriots after suffering the injury, but has returned to the field without absence after just one limited week of practice. On paper, Warner’s production has seemingly been unaffected by the injury. In the Niners 11 games this season, Warner has recorded 84 tackles, 6 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits, and 2 interceptions.
When asked about how the injury is impacting him on the field, Warner acknowledged that playing through the injury comes with a cost. Given the Niners’ dire chances of reaching the postseason, it’s worth wondering if a loss this weekend against the Bills would lead Warner to be shut down and be out for an extended period for the first time in his career.
“Any time you fracture a bone, if you just continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself,” Warner said. “So, just got to continue to just fight through.”