The San Francisco 49ers experienced another massive injury blow on Sunday, this time to their defensive captain.
Fred Warner will miss the rest of the season after suffering a dislocated and broken ankle in Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced. Shanahan added that Warner will undergo surgery.
Warner was injured in the first quarter when a teammate undercut his right leg while the Niners were in pursuit of Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.
San Francisco's medical staff rushed to tend to Warner, who was holding his right leg in clear pain. He was then carted off the field with an air cast applied before virtually every one of his teammates took the field to console the 49ers' four-time All-Pro linebacker.
The 49ers trailed the Buccaneers, 7-3, at the time of Warner's injury. San Francisco's defense proceeded to give up a season-high 30 points in the defeat.
Warner has been a reliable force since coming into the league as third-round pick in 2018, leading the team in tackles in each of his prior seven seasons and doing it all while missing just one out of 117 regular-season games.
It's why the 28-year-old has been regarded as one of -- if not the best -- off-ball LBs in the NFL the past few seasons. But apart from his sure-handed tackling, his knack for forcing fumbles and his clutch play on third downs, Warner has been an important figure for a 49ers team that has consistently been in contention, including the club's Super Bowl runs in 2019 and 2023.
The loss of Warner maintains a troubling theme of key injuries for the 49ers six games into the 2025 season. Star pass rusher Nick Bosa was lost for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL. The offense has also been hit hard with quarterback Brock Purdy (toe; four games missed), tight end George Kittle (ankle; five games) and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (hamstring; two games) sidelined for extended action.
Mac Jones has helped steer the ship in relief of Purdy, leading the 49ers to a three wins in four starts, but how the 49ers acclimate to life without the QB of their defense remains to be seen.
