The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with a lot of injuries this season. That lost time included tight end Christian McCaffrey, receivers Brandon Ayuk and DeBo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, offensive tackle Trent Williams, defensive end Nick Bosa and quarterback Brock Purdy.
Linebacker Fred Warner apparently wants no part of joining those teammates on the sidelines. The seven-year veteran revealed on Wednesday that he has sat out the last seven games with a broken bone in his ankle.
Warner, 28, said he suffered the injury during Week 4’s 30-13 win over the New England Patriots. The fracture occurred in the first half and Warner missed the rest of the game. But he’s been in the lineup ever since and wants to play Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills.
“It’s something I deal with every game,” Warner told reporters, via ESPN’s Nick Wagner. “I get on that table before every game and shoot up every single game to be able to roll.
“But that’s not an excuse. That’s just what it is. That’s the NFL,” he continued. “You’re not going to get healthy. You’ve got to go out there, find a way to execute, play at a high level and win every week.”
In addition to playing in every game since the injury, Warner has participated in every practice for the past seven weeks. Only at week 5, after he sustained the fracture, was he limited in practice.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Warner still leads the 49ers with 84 tackles (50 solo) despite his sprained ankle. He was San Francisco’s leading tackler for each of the previous six seasons. Warner is on track to reach 100 tackles for the seventh time in a row. Additionally, he has two interceptions, four forced fumbles and a sack.
However, Warner’s game is affected by injuries. Nine of his 11 missed tackles have occurred since injuring his ankle, according to the Associated Press. He allowed 31 catches on 31 targets.
The three-time All-Pro later said he probably shouldn’t have said anything about his ankle, but added that the fracture probably won’t heal until after the season.
“Whenever you break a bone, if you keep playing on it, the bone usually won’t be able to heal itself,” he adds. “So, just gotta keep fighting.”
