The San Francisco 49ers‘ 30-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came with a major setback. Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Fred Warner will miss the rest of the season after dislocating and breaking his ankle during the defeat.
Warner went down in the first quarter when a teammate accidentally collided with his right leg as the 49ers’ defense tried to stop Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.
For San Francisco, the focus now shifts to how they move forward. Losing Nick Bosa for the season was already tough, and now Warner’s injury delivers another crushing blow to a defense running short on key leaders.
Amid the latest hurdle that the 49ers need to overcome, NFL insider Mike Garafolo shared his thoughts on the team’s playoff chances without Warner at the heart of their defense.
“They’re still alive and they’re still in the mix and it’s just a brutal loss on [October 12] because that guy does so much for the 49ers and, you know, I love linebackers that still matter, right?” Garafolo said on an October 13 appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “… So, Fred Warner does it better than anybody.
“The only reason I say like they’re still alive is they had been anyway relying upon rookies and young guys and guys that really had to come along with this defense, and they were hoping late in the season, okay, these guys are going to start, following in the way of Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Now they got to sub in for those guys. They got to take over for those guys. That makes it a whole lot tougher. But they do feel good about these guys.”
Will the 49ers Be Active at the Trade Deadline?
While losing Warner isn’t ideal, it does come before the NFL trade deadline, meaning that San Francisco does have an opportunity to explore the market to find a player that can help the team replace him. There was already buzz around the 49ers potentially moving for a pass rusher, so Garafolo believes they will be busy leading up to the deadline.
“I could still see them being aggressive and making a move at the deadline, which they’ve done before in the past,“ Garafolo added. “John Lynch has done before in the past. So, I think you make a move and you bring whether it’s a linebacker or an edge rusher. We know that they’ve been having conversations about edge rusher and maybe you find a way to piece this thing together.”
Former NFL Coach Backs 49ers to Overcome Situation
Garafolo isn’t alone in believing that the 49ers can overcome their situation, as former NFL head coach Jason Garrett also backs Shanahan and his team to get over this latest hurdle.
“If any team can handle it, they can,“ Garrett said on the October 12 edition of “Football Night in America.” “Kyle Shanahan, as good as there is, not only as a head coach but as an offensive guy, and Robert Saleh the same way on the other side. But when Fred Warner is out of the lineup, I’ll tell you what—you become a different team.”
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