When it comes to pure football acumen, few players are on the level of San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner.
Somehow drafted in the third round out of BYU all the way back in 2018, Warner has rapidly transformed himself into a lethal weapon for the 49ers, holding up incredibly well against the pass, the run, and even as a rusher, where he has amassed nine sacks, 28 QB hits, and 11 forced fumbles despite only blitzing roughly five percent of the time over his first six professional seasons.
Discussing what he’s seen from Warner so far this offseason and how much flexibility he’s afforded with the green dot as the 49ers’ on-field leader, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen celebrated his MLB’s unique talents, boldly calling him the best linebacker in the NFL.
“What makes Fred unique is he’s a machine. I think he’s the best linebacker in the NFL. He does it every single day. He’s so consistent. He’s a leader. He plays fast. He plays physical. He attacks the ball. He is a good tackler. He is good in coverage. To me, he’s complete. But what he does is he practices like that every single day. That’s why, I referenced that he’s kind of like a machine. It’s just an every single day thing with him, and he’s trained, and it’s very serious. I don’t think any player I ever played with or have coached; it’s never an accident. It’s never a coincidence. A lot of times, they are extremely dedicated. They have a clear plan, and they probably work the hardest.”
Is Warner the best middle linebacker in the NFL? Yeah, his accolades certainly spell that out, and his impact on the 49ers’ defense, regardless of who is calling the plays, proves as much week in and week out. And the best part? At only 27, Warner will likely continue to play this well for the rest of the decade as he pushes for a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Nick Sorensen: new practice squad roles give the 49ers more flexibility
Elsewhere in his media availability session, Sorensen was asked about the flexibility the 49ers – and every team – now have to put veteran players on the practice squad heading into Week 1.
Considering where the practice squad used to be, Sorensen is very happy with the league’s growth plan, as it’s benefitted the 49ers and every other team for that matter too.
“Oh, it makes a huge difference. It wasn’t too long ago you only had five practice squad players and there were so many limitations on that. The standard elevations now that you can do with players and how many times you can do it, I think it’s smart because back in the day or even in those days not too long ago, you would play through injuries. You wouldn’t report them or you would just play through them. Where now it’s you can be smarter because you can standard elevate guys. You’ve got guys that are in your program that you’re developing, the 16 and six of them are veterans, which I think also extends the careers of these guys that all feel like you could play longer if you just had a chance that you could hang around,” Sorensen explained.
“So it also makes the whole onboarding of players a lot better too, where they’re not just showing up on a Monday workout and then you sign them in, meeting with them on Tuesday and shoot, they could play that week. That still happens, but you usually want to keep guys that are in your program. And I think that permeates throughout the league. Not only is it good for injuries, it’s good for the product of football in the NFL. You see guys that already know what they’re doing because they’ve been on your team on practice squad.”
In 2022, the 49ers put Tashaun Gipson on their practice squad a few days before Week 1 because a string of injuries limited their depth at the safety position, he ended up starting every single game for the rest of the season, and even signed an extension with the team for the 2023 season, where he played well enough to earn a new deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars for this year. While only time will tell if the 49ers have similar success this season with some surprise practice squad-to-starters at a position of need, the fact that the option is on the table could create unique opportunities for players who might have seen their careers ended outright to instead earn one more chance to stick around long-term.
