Kyle Madson, Niners WireThu, January 15, 2026 at 12:45 AM UTC·2 min readThe San Francisco 49ers may get a significant lift for their defense a week earlier than they anticipated.
Linebacker Fred Warner had his practice window opened Tuesday in a move designed to get him on the field for walk throughs during the week according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. All reporting as Warner neared a return indicated the 49ers would have to reach the NFC championship to get their All-Pro linebacker back. Shanahan indicated as much after Week 18.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWarner has other ideas.
While speaking with reporters in the locker room ahead of Wednesday's practice, Warner didn't rule out playing Saturday night in Seattle.
"We're taking it day by day," Warner said via ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "I think they said last week they weren't going to open my window and then my window is now open. So yeah, we're just taking it day by day."
Warner backed his words up by practicing an awful lot like a player readying himself to suit up in a few days. Here's a video of Warner from Wednesday's session:
The 49ers may not want to take chances with their superstar defender. They could play it safe and continue holding off his return until the NFC championship game if they make it that far.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOn the other hand, if Warner is ready to play and can help the 49ers ailing defense get to the NFC championship, it's hard to imagine they hold him out another week.
Warner has been a limited participant in the first two practices of the divisional round. Thursday is the final practice of the week, after which we'll get a status report for Warner and the rest of the club. The ultimate tell will be whether his activation off IR is among the club's pre-game roster moves.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Fred Warner update: 49ers LB won't rule out return vs. Seahawks
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