On October 12, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner fractured and dislocated his ankle, and the team announced he would miss the remainder of the season. But as the playoffs approach, Warner could be on the field.
49ers general manager John Lynch said on KNBR that Warner was well ahead of schedule, changing doctors’ perceptions of when he might be cleared and could play in the postseason.
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“It would be way ahead of the original timeline that we were given, but Fred has the ability to move the doctors because they’re going to put objective metrics where, ‘Hey, if you can hit them, you can make it,'” Lynch said, via NBCSportsBayArea.com. “And Fred continually did that. I think it made a lot of people re-examine their question. ‘OK, could this be possible?’ And I think that’s a good thing. So I watch him. I have always said it: I won’t leave him anything.”
Warner was a first-team All-Pro for three straight years before his 2025 season was cut short, so if Warner can return and play at his usual high level, it would be a huge boost for the 49ers in the playoffs. This now seems realistic.
