What the Fred Warner practice window opening means for the 49ers

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What the Fred Warner practice window opening means for the 49ers

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 5:45 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers opened the practice window for linebacker Fred Warner. What does it mean and when would Warner likely be able to return?

San Francisco 49ers open the practice window for Fred Warner

The practice window is a 21-day period where Warner can practice with the team before he is added to the active roster. If the 49ers do not give him a roster after 21 days, his season is over. The timing is important to note because it puts him on track to play next week if the 49ers advance to the NFC Championship game.

Warner will practice this week, but that does mean he will likely suit up. Most teams open the window a week early so that if something happens, they have time to get back before the full window ends. So, San Francisco will likely wan to give him this full week to shake the rust off, get back on the field, and get into the flow of things, and then see how things look next Monday.

As long as things are good for next Monday, he should be taking on a normal week of practice with the anticipation of playing in the NFC Championship game. At that time, the team will have seen him for nearly two weeks, and they likely have seen him get back to normal speed.

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Still, the 49ers doing it now is important. Had they waited another week, it would have put the NFC Championship game in jeopardy and only put him in line to play the Super Bowl. More than that, because his window is open now, even if he was not ready for the NFC Championship, the 49ers will have to decide on his roster spot for the Super Bowl on Tuesday before the game.

They would either have to be highly confident he could play by Tuesday, or they would shut him down for that game. So, San Francisco appears to be confident that he will play in the NFC Championship and that if he did miss that game, it would either be because he was so close and would be 100% and then some by the Super Bowl, or that he had a setback and would be shut down for the year.

Still, as long as things go smoothly for Warner, the activation today means they expect him to be active for the NFC Championship game. The 49ers are one win away from their star on defense coming back.

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

More must-reads: