The loss of Fred Warner delivered a significant blow to the San Francisco 49ers' defense, which has slipped to a tie for 22nd in total yards allowed without its All-Pro leader. Warner is expected to miss the remainder of the season, but the 49ers star recently shared a promising update on his recovery progress.
Warner suffered a dislocated and fractured right ankle in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During an episode of his podcast, Real Ones: The League, Warner revealed he is approaching an important post-surgery milestone.
"We're at a little over five weeks post-op," Warner said, per Mike Masala of Niners Wire. "Man, we have a huge day coming up, which I can't wait to talk about... I finally get to take my boot off. I've been wearing that boot ever since my surgery. [Nov. 25] I get to take the boot off, and finally get off this scooter.... Rehab is going great. I'm constantly progressing every single day."
Warner added that regaining mobility remains his top priority.
"I think, right now, the biggest thing is just getting that full range of motion back in the ankle post-op and building a little bit of that strength into it. I think the biggest thing right now is that range. It's gonna be different going from not being on my own two legs to just all of a sudden being on my own two legs.
"This is the progression, of course. They have this all built out. I'm just following doctors' orders."
The hope is that the 49ers captain can return during the offseason and complete his comeback heading into the 2026 NFL season, where he is expected to resume his role as one of the league's most dominant defensive players.
At one point, there was speculation that Warner might return for the playoffs if the 49ers made a deep run. Earlier this month, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked whether such a scenario was realistic.
"I don't think so, but I haven't asked that," Shanahan said. "I'm sure it's (his recovery) going awesome. Fred works as hard as anyone on the planet, so it's going great."
With Warner making steady progress, there's reason for optimism that the defensive cornerstone will be fully healthy when the new season arrives.