The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with plenty of injuries this season. Among those missing time have been running back Christian McCaffrey, receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo 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 sideline. The seven-year veteran revealed on Wednesday that he’s been playing for the past seven games with a fractured bone in his ankle.
Warner, 28, says he sustained the injury during Week 4’s 30–13 win over the New England Patriots. The fracture occurred in the first half and Warner didn’t play the rest of the game. But he’s been in the lineup ever since and intends to play on Sunday night versus the Buffalo Bills.
“It’s something I deal with every game,” Warner told reporters, via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “I get on that table before every game and get it shot up every single game just to be able to roll.”
“But it’s not an excuse. It’s just what it is. That’s the NFL,” he continued. “You’re not going to be healthy. You’ve got to go out there, you’ve got to find ways to execute, to play at a high level and to win every single week.”
In addition to Warner playing in each game since suffering the injury, he’s also participated in every practice for the past seven weeks. Only during Week 5, after he sustained the fracture, was he limited in practice.
What probably shouldn’t be a surprise is that Warner still leads the 49ers with 84 tackles (50 solo) despite the fracture in his ankle. He’s been San Francisco’s leading tackler for each of the previous six seasons. Warner is well on his way to exceeding 100 tackles for the seventh consecutive year. Additionally, he has two interceptions, four forced fumbles and one sack.
However, Warner’s play has been affected by the injury. Of his 11 missed tackles, nine have occurred since hurting his ankle, according to the Associated Press. He’s also 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.
“Any time you fracture a bone, if you just continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself,” he added. “So, just got to continue to just fight through.”
