49ers Notebook: Patrick Willis, Deebo Samuel, Baker Mayfield, others react to Fred Warner injury; Young 49ers ready to step up in Warner’s absence; What made Trent so mad?

Usually there are a number of subjects being discussed in and out of the locker room following every 49ers game, but after the 30-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the conversation was unsurprisingly dominated by the season-ending ankle injury to linebacker Fred Warner.

It's hard to overstate how profound of an impact Warner's injury will have on the 49ers. Aside from being the team's best player at the moment and the player the 49ers revolve around on defense, Warner is the leader on the field and in the locker room. Following the game, left tackle Trent Williams succinctly summed up the importance of Warner to the 49ers and how deflating it was to see the four-time All-Pro linebacker go down.

"It's heartbreaking," Williams said. "Fred, not only is he one of the best linebackers to ever play the game, but he's the heart and soul of this team, not just the heart and soul of this defense. It's one thing to see somebody go down and go to the blue tent and nobody really knows what's going on. When you see a guy that's injured like that, it's really like a gut punch. It truly is really hard to continue the intensity and playing the game like that never happened."

Warner's injury, which took place when his ankle was rolled up on by safety Ji'Ayir Brown in the second quarter, was a violent break that was difficult enough to watch on television. For his teammates and friends who saw what happened close up, it was that much harder.

"You never get used to that," Williams said. "You see one of your really good friends, a guy you've got genuine love for having to get carted off, it's an emotional experience."

Wide receiver Jauan Jennings told reporters the injury made him "nauseous" and that he had to take nausea medicine after it happened.

"He's one of the guys I basically look up to," Jennings said. "He's been one of the guys who led this team year in and year out. His words of encouragement before every game, to know how much that guy loves the game, it's very sad and it makes me sick to my stomach."

Reaction to Warner's injury spread far beyond the 49ers locker room. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield paused to acknowledge Warner before answering the first question in his postgame press conference.

"First of all, losing in the middle of the game Fred Warner, I mean that sucks," Mayfield said. "You never want to see that, so thoughts and prayers with him."

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles commented on Warner as well.

"It was sickening," Bowles said. "You saw when it happened. He's one of the best players in the league. Great guy on top of that. You hate to see something like that happen. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery. But that kind of breaks your heart, no matter what side you're on."

Among those to react to Warner's injury on social media were former 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman, and legendary 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis.

Also reacting was 49ers owner and CEO Jed York. York doesn't post on social media too often, so it's unfortunate his latest one was in reference to his top player's season-ending injury.

The 49ers were able to remain competitive for most of Sunday's game after Warner's injury and will undoubtedly keep up the fight in his absence. But there's no question that of all the players the 49ers have lost this season, Warner, who before Sunday had not had a serious injury in his NFL career, will be particularly difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

"He's one of the best players I've ever played with and one of the best leaders I've ever played with," running back Christian McCaffrey said. "So, you know, it's heartbreaking."

Next men up

With defensive end Nick Bosa already out for the season due to a torn ACL, the loss of Warner puts the onus on a young 49ers defense to grow up quickly. This year's defense came into the season with Warner, Bosa and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir as the veteran leaders of a group largely composed of players in their first, second or third seasons, and now those players will have to dig a little deeper in Warner's absence.

"I feel for him," third-year safety Ji'Ayir Brown said, via Matt Lively of CBS Sports Bay Area. "That's like my big brother, man. Whenever I step out on that field, we've got a certain kind of bond, and I love that. Not seeing him throughout the week out there at practice, I've got to pick it up because I know the energy he brings, the leadership he brings. I'm kind of going to take it on my shoulders to keep his spirit out there, keep his energy out there. You're not going to replace Fred, but try to have his spirit out there with us."

Second-year safety Malik Mustapha, who was playing in his first game of the season after recovering from a torn ACL, told Lively that the loss of the defense's main communicator will mean all eleven players have to do their part to compensate.

"It definitely has an impact for sure," Mustapha said. "He's the captain of our ship, so now everybody has to do their 1/11 to step up. Next man up. I think everyone's capable of doing that, so we've got to do that much more."

Second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, took Warner's place on the field Sunday and finished with a team-high ten tackles.

"Got a lot of faith in Tatum," head coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday. "He's the next man up, and he's going to have to do it throughout the year."

Bethune will take on Warner's duty of being the player with the "green dot," which refers to the player who receives communication from the coaches and calls it out to the defense. Bethune told reporters after the game he was ready to step up in place of Warner when his number was called.

"I'm always prepared," Bethune said. "I prepare like I'm a starter just for reasons like this. Fred getting hurt was unfortunate, but this is why you prepare."

As for Lenoir, he was aiming since day one to increase his presence as a leader this season. Now that Warner's out for the year, Lenoir will be extending the "next man up" mentality into his growing leadership role.

"That was kind of my goal this season, just to be a leader... I'm in a bigger spotlight now that Fred is down, Bosa's down, so I've got to be that guy," Lenoir said.

A silver lining, maybe

Even though much of the mood coming out of Sunday's game was gloomy for the 49ers, there were a few positives to take from the game. One of them was the team finally finding the end zone on the ground, even if not everyone was that into it.

A one-yard touchdown run by McCaffrey in the second quarter marked the first rushing touchdown of the season for the 49ers, breaking one of the team's most unexpected and bizarre statistical droughts of the year. But even if it was something that fans and media made note of, not every player seemed to think it was that big of a deal.

"I don't think about that," Williams said. "I don't know. I never think about rushing scoring or nothing. I look at the score at the end of the game and hopefully we're on top, but I don't pay attention to that."

McCaffrey finished Sunday's game with 17 carries for 54 yards and one touchdown while catching seven passes for 57 yards. McCaffrey hasn't been producing the type of explosive plays this season that he has in the past, but he continues to get more touches than anyone in the 49ers offense and has been one of the league's leading receivers through six games. He wasn't ready to declare his performance on Sunday a successful one when the subject came up after the game.

"I don't know. I think we'll have to look at that tape," McCaffrey said. "I'm always my biggest critic and so we'll see if it was a successful game or not. But I think there's probably some plays that I maybe want back. But I don't know. Look, I work really hard, but at the end of the day, every time I'm able to step on that field, I'm very grateful. I thank God for it because when you're able to play, it's a blessing, really, and I don't take it for granted."

What set off Trent?

Late in Sunday's game, Trent Williams was hit with a flag when he got caught in a little scrap with Buccaneers defensive back Tykee Smith. Williams and Smith jawed with each other a bit after a late-game interception, then the two wrestled each other to the turf.

The incident was reminiscent of when Williams lost his cool with defensive back K'Von Wallace late in the 2023 NFC Championship game against the Eagles. But as was the case then, Williams didn't have much to say about his scrap with Smith. Actually, when the subject came up after the game Sunday, Williams laughed it off and didn't elaborate on what caused the incident.

"I don't know," Williams said. "I don't know. Just talking trash, frustrated. Just mixing it up."

Mixed blame on interceptions

Speaking of interceptions, the one that preceded Williams and Smith's fight was the second of the game for Jones, but maybe only the first one where he received blame from Shanahan. Jones' first interception, which set up the first touchdown of the game for the Buccaneers, came as a result of a miscommunication between himself and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.

"I thought Mac did a pretty good job," Shanahan said. "I thought that last turnover, the last pick was a tough one. The first one in the game, we were hot on a blitz, and we didn't get the right sight adjustment. He's got to throw that, and we had a bust on the route. I don't put that one on him. I thought he did some good things today, but nothing on him. It was on everyone collectively."

The interception was an early blip in an otherwise productive day for Bourne, who finished with five catches for 142 yards.

"It's a heavy pressure team, so we have to just be more keyed in together," Jones said. "And KB and I, we have great connection and we just weren't on the same page on that one. So it's on me, but honestly, we kept playing... They had a good play call against our play. It is what it is."