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Kyle Shanahan reveals where the 49ers miss Fred Warner the most

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Nov 11, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers' defense is missing their two best players, so it is no shock that the group is not nearly as good as it started the season. However, while everyone can think of the physical difference that the team is missing, one of the biggest is the mental aspect.

The San Francisco 49ers are missing Fred Warner's brain the most

When head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked how Tatum Bethune has stacked up in replacing Warner, Shanahan went on to say that the biggest difference right now may be the mental aspect of the game.

Fred is elite when it comes to just how intelligent he is, how he communicates, how he can get us in and out of every single thing, how he can handle every single motion.Kyle Shanahan

Shanahan made sure to be clear that this is no knock on Bethune. Bethune is a second-year player with his first time seeing the field in real NFL games. Shanahan was the first to say that even Warner was not doing the things he does now during those early starts of his career. Still, Shanahan is correct that Bethune simply cannot replace the knowledge that Warner brought to the defense.

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You see it every week when there is a coverage bust in the back end. There were a few leaks with Warner in the game, and that is the price of playing with the safeties that they have. However, once Warner left, it became clear that teams knew who and where to attack on the defense. Specific players have become more susceptible.

Against the Rams, the 49ers had to call a timeout and got a too many men on the field penalty when they tried to get into their dime look. Slow-developing plays, such as screens, or plays that leak out to the sideline, would be read out by Warner, and he would beat them to the spot, typically not as much with his speed, but more with his understanding of where the play is going. Bethune simply cannot do that.

The hope is that as Bethune and other potential leaders, such as Malik Mustaph, get more acclimated to their roles that they can start to make some of the plays come with the understanding Warner had. Or at least they can prevent a few of the leaks from occurring as often as they have.

It is one thing to lose the size, speed, and tenacity that these players brought, but the experience is impossible to replace, and that is what is missing the most when you see the 49ers' mistakes on defense.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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