‘I feel amazing’: Fred Warner nears comeback amid 49ers’ playoff push

The San Francisco 49ers opened the practice window for linebacker Fred Warner this week, signaling that the star defender is nearing a return after suffering a dislocated and fractured right ankle just three months ago. Warner's recovery has been nothing short of remarkable.

Warner spoke to reporters on Wednesday as the 49ers prepared for their second practice of the week (first full practice), with their focus on Saturday's playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. The linebacker made it clear that he's eager to rejoin his teammates.

It remains uncertain if Warner will be ready to play this weekend, but his mindset suggests he's preparing as if he could suit up.

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"I feel amazing," Warner said. "Let me just say, just so grateful, blessed to be back, and I think, obviously, when all this happened, I didn't really think about the possibility of returning in-season. But the way things progressed, and being able to have this opportunity to be back with my teammates, and have a chance at helping them win this weekend, and so on and so forth, that's my only goal moving forward."

Warner has exceeded expected recovery timelines, and his return appears imminent.

"I think it speaks to everybody that has been in my corner this entire time," Warner said. "The trainers, the strength staff, the plan that they put together for me helped push me along. I could go down the line of everybody that was involved, but it truly did take an army to help me get to this point.

"God bless my wife. She was eight, nine months pregnant, trying to take care of me when I was on that scooter. So, like I said, I'm just super blessed to be right where I'm at."

While Warner's practice window is now open, he remains cautious and focused on following medical guidance. There are still some boxes to check before he is cleared to play in a game.

"We're taking it day by day," Warner said. "I think they said last week they weren't going to open my window, and then, my window's now open, so we're just taking it day by day."

When asked about expectations for Saturday, Warner said, "The expectation is to continue to take it day by day and see where we're at."

The linebacker added that he wouldn't be saying he is ready if he didn't feel confident it was true.

"I'm not going to put myself at an added risk if I'm not ready," he said.

We'll see if Warner can return for this weekend. If not, the more likely return will be next week for the NFC Championship Game, assuming the 49ers can beat the Seahawks on Saturday.

"Obviously, Fred, he's different from anybody else in terms of he can be labeled as having a season-ending injury, and then all of a sudden, just go hard on the rehab and get right, just in case there is an opportunity," quarterback Brock Purdy said on Wednesday. "And so, here we are. It's pretty cool because he's done every little thing right.

"And just being around the locker room and stuff, and being around in the weight room, at practice, it's just cool because you can feel him and his presence. And guys are like, 'Man, 54 is right there around the corner, and obviously, we do our job, handle our business, then we can get him back,' which would be really cool, and guys feed off that.

"He's a captain here. He's the guy that we all follow. And he sets the standard of, really, how we play here. So, to get him back would be really, really cool."

Tackle Trent Williams said simply having Fred Warner back in practice is uplifting for the team.

"Whether Fred takes the field in these playoffs or not, that's motivation," Williams said. "Having him near, just having his face in this locker room, it's motivation. It helps everybody. So yeah, I think getting him in the wake of losing [TE George] Kittle (Achilles injury), does it make the loss any easier? No. But I do think that it does give us a little bit of a boost of energy, just seeing his face."