Fred Warner left Sunday’s 49ers-Bucs game with an air cast on his right leg.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The San Francisco 49ers suffered what appears to be another major injury blow on Sunday, this time to All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.
Warner got rolled up from behind while chasing down a run play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His right ankle twisted in an awkward direction, and he immediately clutched his lower leg in pain.
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Trainers tended to Warner on the field and placed his injured lower leg into an air cast. He left the game on the back of the cart, and the 49ers quickly ruled him out for the rest of the game. The precise nature of his injury wasn’t initially clear.
The injury is the latest to a key 49ers player on a team that’s been decimated this season. The 49ers played Sunday for the fourth time this season without starting quarterback Brock Purdy (toe). No. 1 receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) missed a second consecutive game.
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All-Pro tight end George Kittle has been out of the lineup since sustaining a hamstring injury in Week 1. And All-Pro pass rusher Nick Bosa is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
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It now appears the 49ers will be without Warner for the long term.
Despite the injuries, San Francisco entered Sunday with a 4-1 record and in first place in the NFC West. But the 49ers move forward without their two best defensive players in Bosa and Warner.
Warner, 29, is in his eighth NFL season, all of them with the 49ers. He’s led the team in tackles in each season of his career and has never recorded fewer than 118 in a season. He’s a four-time first-team All-Pro, including each of the last three seasons in which he recorded 130-plus tackles. He’s recorded 10 sacks, 38 tackles for loss, 17 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries and 2 interceptions over the course of his career.
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And he’s been one of the most durable players in the NFL. Warner’s missed just one game in his seven-plus seasons. An absence of any length by Warner will be a significant blow for San Francisco.
