Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers have been ravaged by injuries this year. Nick Bosa. Brandon Aiyuk. George Kittle. Brock Purdy. But none of them might be nearly as significant as Fred Warner.

In the middle of a marquee matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the superstar linebacker had to be carted off after his ankle turned the wrong way during a tackle attempt. He also needed an aircast. Please note that we are not showing the injury for sensitivity reasons. A clip of the sequence can be easily found online on any bog-standard social media platform.

More than anyone, Warner is the heart of the 49ers. He is the straw that stirs the drink for San Francisco's defense and the team on the whole. His loss will likely be felt much more than any other major contributor the 49ers are missing.

Warner is NOT a player you simply replace or approach with a "next man up" mentality:

The exact extent of Warner's ankle injury is still unknown at this time, but it doesn't look good from a long-term perspective. We will update this article accordingly once there is more information.

UPDATE: Warner officially has a dislocated ankle.

We'll see what that means about his status for the rest of the 49ers' season.

Who is Fred Warner's backup on the 49ers?

Second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune is listed as Warner's backup on the 49ers' depth chart. Bethune is a former seventh-round draft pick. Entering Sunday's matchup with Tampa Bay, he had 11 career tackles in 16 appearances.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fred Warner injury update after getting carted off field

Reporting by Robert Zeglinski, For The Win / For The Win

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