The San Francisco 49ers opened Fred Warner's practice window on Tuesday, a key step toward a potential return by the All-Pro linebacker in the NFC Championship Game. Still, the team isn't looking past the immediate task at hand: a Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
For Warner, the mindset is simple—be ready when the time comes.
"I'm ready whenever they're ready," Warner said recently. "There's some T's that gotta be crossed, I's that gotta be dotted. Unfortunately, if it were just up to me, I'd be out there this weekend, but it's unfortunately not that way.
"I've got to make sure I'm checking all the boxes, and everybody has to give me the okay before they let me go out there. But I'm pushing, man. I'm training hard. I'm back doing full football drills and everything, so time will tell."
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Despite feeling physically ready, Warner hasn't lobbied coaches to accelerate the process.
"That's not Fred's style, totally," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He does that by showing how hard he's working on the side, and knows that we're watching. He knows he doesn't have to do that to me. As soon as he's ready, obviously, it'll be zero decision on my part."
The injuries at linebacker opened the door for Garret Wallow, who made the most of his opportunity in the 49ers' Wild Card win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Wallow finished with 11 tackles and a pass defensed.
Asked what it would mean to potentially share the field with Warner for the first time, Wallow didn't hesitate.
"That'd be cool," Wallow said on Tuesday. "Again, that's something that's out of my control, but that would be awesome, even for him to hit that milestone, especially with the team losing him earlier in the year. I think that would be awesome for him, more importantly."
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Warner has steadily increased his workload over the past few weeks. He was seen doing light running on the side during practice last week. Although Shanahan said Sunday the odds of opening Warner's practice window this week were slim, the team moved forward anyway.
"I feel like you could say we can definitely feel his presence a bit more," wide receiver Demarcus Robinson said. "He's out there on the field with us. We always had his energy, being in the stadium, getting the crowd pumped before the game. But definitely, for us now, as teammates, having him out there, being on the field at practice, seeing him running around. It feels good seeing him back out there."
Warner participated in Tuesday's walk-through, a light, non-contact session due to the short preparation week. His presence caught at least one teammate off guard.
"I honestly didn't see him until later on, but I felt something," defensive tackle Kalia Davis said. "I felt some aura. And then I peeked back, I said, 'Hold on, whoa. He's got a jersey on?' It's most definitely uplifting, for sure."
While a win in Seattle would increase Warner's chances of returning for another game this season, that isn't driving the team's focus as they prepare for the NFC West playoff showdown.
"Honestly, we just want to win," Davis said. "But for someone who really set the standard here, I would do anything to play with him again this year, with this group, most definitely. But we want him back out there."
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