After their championship window was completely derailed by a series of untimely injuries, the 2025 season was shaping up to be a fresh start for the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, it seems as if they are now resigned to more of the same.
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Their QB1, TE1, and WR1, as well as several other key veteran players, have all missed multiple weeks as a result of injuries, and now, you can add their star linebacker, Fred Warner, to the list. During the midst of their Week 6 showcase against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Warner’s right ankle rolled up under one of his fellow teammates during what should have been a routine tackle.
Even though the play itself was relatively mundane, Warner is now feared to have suffered a season-ending injury. After he was carted off of the field, his right ankle was reportedly fitted into an air cast.
Fred Warner –
Looks like they’re struggling to extend his knee and he’s bracing around his patella.
Could be a patella dislocation. Sounds like the cart is out for him. Not good.
pic.twitter.com/CZZ5PSfieb— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 12, 2025
According to Jeff Mueller, the medical staff was seen “struggling to extend” Warner’s knee while he was still on the field. Unfortunately, he believes that the injury will likely go down as either a fractured or dislocated ankle, either of which would be enough to keep the 28-year-old on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.
In the words of both Mueller and Niners fans alike, this is nothing short of a “brutal loss” for the 49ers franchise. As noted, this isn’t the only injury that has plagued San Francisco’s defense.
Actually, significantly worse.
Fred Warner just fractured/dislocated his ankle. This will be season-ending.
Brutal loss for the 49ers defense. https://t.co/FtIQjJFcU3 pic.twitter.com/mOsD5qRJF9— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) October 12, 2025
During their Week 3 divisional match-up against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers’ premier pass rusher, Nick Bosa, was met with an untimely ACL injury. In the aftermath of that, San Francisco’s head coach, Kyle Shanahan, suggested that his production would be hard to replicate.
“You don’t just replace a guy like Nick. Everyone has to get better.” While it’s always encouraging to see teams embrace the ‘next man up’ mentality, that’ll certainly be easier said than done for the 49ers, especially after the loss of Warner.
The Niners are still holding onto a 4-2 record and are tied for the first overall spot in their division, but that’s not expected to last for very much longer. They are nearly halfway through the regular season, and while some of their offense is expected to improve, their defense has now become a liability that is simply too large to ignore.
Unfortunately, the injury bug tends to visit someone every year in the National Football League. It’s just a shame that it has decided to make a home in San Francisco, as the 49ers are still not that far removed from their appearance at Super Bowl LVIII.
