The San Francisco 49ers were dealt a significant blow on defense during the regular season when linebacker Fred Warner went down with an injury.
Warner sustained a broken and dislocated right ankle in the Week 6 game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that landed him on injured reserve, and it was slated to keep him out for the remainder of the season.
However, with the 49ers in the playoffs, there is hope that Warner might be able to make it back at some point if San Francisco advances.
Here's the latest on the Niners' star linebacker.
Will Fred Warner return from injury?
It appears there is indeed a chance that Warner returns at some point in the postseason.
According to FOX Sports' Jay Glazer, Warner is ahead of schedule in his rehab and the NFL insider isn't ruling out the star linebacker returning by the NFC Championship Game, at the earliest, if the Niners make it that far.
"Anybody else, I'd say 'absolutely not,' but Fred Warner has blown past all his rehab markers," Glazer said. "I'm actually told, if they get to the NFC Championship Game, they're holding out hope — they think there could be a chance — that Fred Warner could actually go in that game."
If Warner does indeed make it back for that contest, he would likely be limited after such a long absence.
That said, simply having Warner in uniform would provide a huge boost to the Niners' morale and any snaps he can give them would be a massive plus.
But before the Niners can even dream of having Warner for the NFC title game, the team will have to win a pair of playoff games, the first of which comes Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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