49ers roster: Plan on Fred Warner staying at elite level in 2022
By Peter Panacy
Why Fred Warner might actually regress
While there shouldn’t be any concrete signs about any regression from Fred Warner, there are always going to be risks that could prompt some sort of drop in production.
Warner has stayed almost entirely healthy through his pro career, missing a regular-season game for the first time ever in 2021, but understandably, it would be considered a regression if he ends up missing significant time in 2022. Given how frequently he’s around the ball, that risk won’t go away.
There are always going to be challenges for Niners linebackers in the tackling department, too, given the wide-9 alignment of the defensive line, which opens up the possibility for increased gains on rushing attempts up the middle.
Warner has historically missed an average of 12 tackles a season, yet the high volume of tackles he’ll make every given year is typically going to lead to that kind of number.
Again, nothing too massive to worry about.
About the only wonder here is whether or not Warner will revert into the All-Pro player he was in 2020, or if he winds up being an excellent linebacker anyway but just shy of a “best of the best” designation this season.