The San Francisco 49ers played much of the 2025 season without one of their best players, as Fred Warner suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 6. After only being able to watch from the sideline, the best off-ball linebacker in football is now healthy and ready to get back to dominating.
Warner took the podium after the Niners’ training camp practice on Monday, and he made it clear he’s his usual elite self on the field. Considering the time he missed, the linebacker was asked if he needs a tackle in camp or preseason to really feel like he’s back, and he delivered a response that got fans excited to see him again.
Warner simply said, “Nah, tackling, that’s like riding a bike. You just run through their face,” before laughing and walking off.
Fred Warner is ready to run through faces again
49ers fans are definitely ready to see Warner running through faces again. That’s exactly what the linebacker did his first seven seasons in the NFL, and he was extremely durable while doing so. In those first seven seasons, Warner missed just one game. The durability helped him become a four-time Pro Bowler, and establish himself as the best linebacker in football.
In year eight, prior to getting hurt, Warner had already posted 51 tackles and was well on his way to another elite season. The gruesome ankle injury brung everything to a halt, though, and he had to navigate a new experience of being on the sideline.
Warner is back to normal now, dominating on the field. In the first couple of practices of training camp, the linebacker has reportedly been one of the best players on the field, flying around and making plays. That comes after an offseason where he worked extremely hard to get back to his standard—something general manager John Lynch shouted him out for.
It also helps that Warner has his running mate, Dre Greenlaw, back alongside of him. With Warner and Greenlaw back on the field, the 49ers defense should get back to its dominating ways.
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