49ers have uncertainty around irreplaceable Fred Warner following Week 4 win over Patriots
Fred Warner boosted an already healthy Defensive Player of the Year case in the first half of the San Francisco 49ers' blowout win over the New England Patriots with a spectacular 45-yard pick six. Unfortunately, the 49ers' All-Pro linebacker did not play a snap in the second half. Warner left for the locker room shortly […]
Fred Warner boosted an already healthy Defensive Player of the Year case in the first half of the San Francisco 49ers' blowout win over the New England Patriots with a spectacular 45-yard pick six. Unfortunately, the 49ers' All-Pro linebacker did not play a snap in the second half.
Warner left for the locker room shortly before the half with an ankle injury and, while he returned with his helmet for the second half, he was reduced to the role spectator as the 49ers closed out a 30-13 win.
San Francisco this week lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave for the season with a torn triceps muscle. There is no suggestion Warner's injury is overly serious but, coming out of the win over the Patriots, there is uncertainty surrounding his status for the Week 5 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in his postgame press conference that he had no information on the severity of the injury. Warner was also non-committal when he spoke to the media.
"I would have been out there if I could have been," Warner said about his absence from the final two quarters.
"It was all based off of feel. We'll get more info as we go with scans. I feel good right now."
The 49ers will know more about a potential absence for Warner on Monday, but what is clear is that he is an irreplaceable member of a defense that has already had a lot of problems at linebacker.
Dre Greenlaw is still recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered in Super Bowl 58 and his replacement De'Vondre Campbell has endured an underwhelming start to the season. Dee Winters has battled an ankle injury to start the campaign and Curtis Robinson tore his ACL in practicer this week.
Warner is the heart and soul of the defense, the emotional leader and green dot wearer. An absence for any length of time would potentially complicate the 49ers' communication on defense and remove from the equation a player whose unmatched combination of athleticism and instincts has seen him blossom into the best in the game at his position.
Shanahan gave a lengthy injury recap in his press conference, revealing that defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who left the game with a knee injury, was not believed to have injured his ACL.
He added that Kyle Juszczyk left the game late with a shoulder injury. George Kittle (ribs), Chris Conley (oblique) and Jacob Cowing (shoulder) all returned to the game following injuries.
The Niners will hope the blow to Juszczyk is nothing serious given how important his versatility is to the offense.
But the most concern will be for Warner. San Francisco can ill-afford to lose him for any length of time, and especially not ahead of a matchup with a Cardinals quarterback in Kyler Murray whose dual-threat upside has consistently given the Niners problems.
San Francisco has a victory to celebrate again, but the 49ers will undoubtedly be crossing their fingers that Warner can return in a hurry.
49ers get back on track with victory that shouldn’t make them feel too much better about slow start
They can still be a lot better.
