Ahead of a pivotal Week 5, the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers received a positive update on star linebacker Fred Warner. The 27-year-old did not play in the second half of the 49ers’ 30-13 win over the New England Patriots in Week 4 but might not miss any further time.
As head coach Kyle Shanahan told the media after the game, Warner is considered “day-to-day” despite being ruled out of the Week 4 contest.
“Anything that says ‘day-to-day,’ just when you don’t know that the night before, we always definitely feel better when it says ‘day-to-day,'” Shanahan said, via 49erswebzone.com. “If it’s a high-ankle sprain or anything like that, you know that’s always some time. I know he’s hurting today and stuff, but from the reports and everything, when we say ‘day-to-day,’ that gives him a chance to heal up this week.”
Warner was seen heading to the locker room early just before halftime and did not play a snap in the second half but did not leave without making an impact. The three-time All-Pro racked up seven tackles before he suffered an ankle injury and had the highlight of the game with a 45-yard interception returned for a touchdown to open the second quarter.
With San Francisco preparing for a divisional clash with the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, Warner will not be the only key player for the 49ers with an injury tag. The defending NFC champions, who will already be without Christian McCaffrey, also list fullback Kyle Juszczyk, defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and tight end George Kittle as day-to-day, among others.
Kittle entered Week 4 as limited with his hamstrings but suffered a separate rib injury against the Patriots. While it is unclear how much the veteran’s hamstrings are still affecting him, Shanahan indicated that his ribs are the more pressing matter.
Juszczyk and Eliott joined the group as those who left Week 4 with a new issue with the former nursing his shoulder and the latter suffering an ankle injury. Neither are considered to be too serious but a loss of either would be significant, especially for Elliott with Javon Hargrave already on injured reserve.
Talanoa Hufanga, Chris Conley and Jacob Cowing make up the full list of players considered questionable leading into Week 5. Hufanga missed Week 4 after acquiring an ankle injury in practice.
Quarterback Brock Purdy dealt with a minor back injury ahead of Week 4 but practiced in full the entire week and had no injury designation on game day. Purdy is not on the injury report entering Week 5.
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