What Fred Warner told 49ers teammates after suffering season-ending injury

The San Francisco 49ers suffered yet another brutal blow when linebacker Fred Warner went down with a dislocated and broken ankle in this past Sunday's 30-19 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that dropped the 49ers to 4-2 on the season. 

During an appearance on the latest edition of "The Richard Sherman Podcast," 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne revealed that Warner addressed the San Francisco locker room shortly after the Tampa Bay game wrapped up.

Fred Warner injury "took the life out of" 49ers vs. Buccaneers

"He just told us not to worry about him," Bourne explained, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. "And the way he works on the field, you know he's going to attack the rehab. But it took the life out of us in that game. It was a tough time. I loved the way we still battled, but it's just a lot of adversity we're facing, and it's going to show who we are, who our backups are."

The San Francisco defense was already without star pass-rusher Nick Bosa (season-ending ACL tear) heading into the Week 6 matchup. Things get no easier for that unit, as the 49ers will host a 3-2 Atlanta Falcons side that features star running back Bijan Robinson this coming Sunday evening.

According to StatMuse, Robinson began Wednesday leading the league with 822 total yards from scrimmage for the ongoing season. As of Wednesday morning, ESPN BET had the 49ers as 2.5-point home favorites for that "Sunday Night Football" showdown. 

What's next for 49ers after Fred Warner injury? 

"Now, it's [opportunities] for other people," Bourne added during the podcast. "... So, whoever is behind Fred, whoever is behind whoever gets down, who are you? Are you going to step into your time? And we want to focus on that because it's hard to keep mourning. Because it's Fred Warner, we can mourn for the rest of the year. And that's what he said out of his mouth when he talked to us after the game. He was like, 'Hey, don't worry about me.' And it helps us, and me, to even talk like this, because it came from his mouth, and you know it's real."

The Athletic's Matt Barrows noted that backup middle linebacker Tatum Bethune is on track to replace Warner in the San Francisco lineup. For a piece published on Wednesday morning, ESPN's Dan Graziano mentioned that the 49ers could consider trading for New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams. Williams is in the final year of his contract and played under 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh when Saleh was Jets head coach.