How the 49ers plan to move forward after Fred Warner’s gruesome injury

It won't be easy.

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As difficult as it will be for the rest of the 2025 season, the San Francisco 49ers will have to find a way to move forward without Fred Warner.

Warner suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, adding to the challenges for a team already missing defensive end Nick Bosa and dealing with numerous other injuries across the roster.

Brock Purdy is out with turf toe, and George Kittle has been sidelined since Week 1 due to a hamstring injury. Both Kittle and Warner will have missed significant game time this season, which is notable given how fortunate they've been to avoid major injuries since being drafted in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Kyle Shanahan is hoping for growth from both sides of the ball

Oct 2, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

But what’s next for the 49ers? Losing Warner and Bosa is tough in so many ways. Their leadership, game-changing ability, and exceptional talent make everything more difficult.

The roster is already depleted. Injuries feel like the new normal, but the only way to move forward is to adjust and develop other players’ skillsets to try and compensate for two massive absences.

Throughout the game, after Warner was carted off, it became clear that a lot of work needs to be done to fill the void. The defence appeared hesitant and uncertain about its overall direction in certain areas.

Oct 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) is carted off the field during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"He's one of our best players, also a huge leader, so obviously, a huge blow," Shanahan told reporters post-game. "I feel bad for Fred right now."

"I mean, it is what it is. Of course, everyone knows it's difficult. So, when you lose your better players - and your leaders, that's tough. It's huge with Nick [Bosa], obviously huge with Fred [Warner], hopefully we'll get [George] Kitle back here and some of the other guys.

"But that's going to give opportunities to other guys, these are moments guys [have] to step it up. [I'm] glad that we've played some decent football to put us in this position at least with our record. Now we have to find a way to get better everywhere else throughout this year."

The 49ers continue to deal with devastating injuries to their star players for yet another year. It's going to take a long while to get over this one.

Despite all the injuries, the franchise holds a 4-2 record, and the next two games against the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans could set the tone for the remainder of the season.