San Francisco 49ers, Fred Warner
Fred Warner shares telling comment about his daily battles with Brock Purdy 1
Fred Warner spent Tuesday’s joint practice with the Tennessee Titans covering the middle of the field while Brock Purdy tried to throw over him, which is exactly what the San Francisco 49ers went without for most of last season.
He was asked afterward how much it frustrated him when Purdy dropped throws into windows above his coverage, Warner did not pretend to be bothered.
“You know me and Brock have our battles every single day and I love it,” Warner said. “We’re getting the best out of each other, where he’ll layer a ball over or I’ll get my hand on it. That’s honestly what camp is about. At the end of the day, I’m not gonna see a better guy doing that than Brock Purdy and you have to ask him if there’s a better guy being in those windows, but at the end of the day it’s about iron sharpening iron.”
Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) leaves the field at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn ImagesSep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) leaves the field at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) leaves the field at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
That exchange is ordinary camp business for most teams, and it is anything but ordinary for this one. Warner fractured and dislocated his right ankle on Oct. 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had surgery two days later, and missed the final 12 regular-season games plus both playoff contests. He returned to practice in January and pushed to play in the divisional round, but Kyle Shanahan held him out. Purdy also missed time during the same stretch of a season that emptied out San Francisco’s roster.
Fred Warner was asked his frustration level on Brock Purdy’s ability to consistently layer his balls over him during practice:
“You know me and Brock have our battles every single day and I love it. We’re getting the best out of each other, where he’ll layer a ball over or I’ll… pic.twitter.com/SmW51POz28
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 11, 2026
So how close is Fred Warner to his old self?
The daily evidence is the most useful answer we can have in August. Warner was a full participant on the first day of camp in late July and went straight back to running the defense, complete with trash talk after stuffing a run.
He had a would-be sack on Purdy during Monday’s practice and collided with wide receiver Junior Bergen after a short catch. None of that is a game rep, and none of it involves an offensive lineman being allowed to finish a block, but it is a linebacker moving like one who trusts the ankle.
Before the injury, Warner had missed one game in eight seasons. He was on pace for another All-Pro year, finishing with 51 tackles, two for loss, three passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in six appearances.
Purdy giving him a live test every day is the useful part for both. San Francisco opens the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the defense around Warner is still assembling itself.
Nick Bosa has not practiced since Aug. 5 with tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee, which leaves the linebacker who quarterbacks that group carrying more of the early load than the team planned.
The missed time showed up in how his peers assessed him. Warner landed at No. 54 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026, a list voted on by players, after coming in at No. 16 a year earlier.
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