Santa Clara – Fred Warner is a rare talent whose impact extends far beyond the stat sheet. One of the NFL’s most unique defensive players, he continues to make his presence felt both on and off the field.
Warner made a remarkable recovery ahead of schedule after suffering a dislocated and fractured ankle, with his aggressive rehabilitation putting him in position to potentially return had the team advanced further in the playoffs.
This week at OTAs (organized team activities), Warner was present and active, working closely with new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. He led defensive drills, guided younger players, and brought consistent energy as one of the team’s most vocal leaders on the field.
Morris has also spoken highly of Warner, praising his impact on the defense and his leadership influence throughout the organization.
Morris also spoke about what excites him most about this defense:
“It’s a lot of exciting things, a lot of exciting people,” said Morris. “It’s fun to be around a bunch of new people that you haven’t really been around. It’s fun to watch people grow and get better throughout the process. I’ve had a lot of fun being able to implement some things that we want to do, to be able to talk about it.
It’s been so much fun to be around all of these guys, but when you’re just around a guy like Fred [Warner], you’re around [Dre] Greenlaw even though they’re not practicing, it is a little different when you’re around those couple of guys that just put so much into their work, put so much time into it. [Nick] Bosa has been really fun to be around because he’s the most even-keeled dude I’ve ever seen in life. I love that. Nothing’s going to bother him.
He’s going to be ready to deal with just about any situation that’s going to come up. And you’ve got to start with those type of leaders. And they’re talking about the guys that’s out there playing for us that’s in those shoes. Whether you’re talking about [Garrett] Wallow, some of the guys that are getting coached by the guys that we just mentioned, they’ve been a lot of fun. Romello [Height] being a young punk out there, just running around doing all the things that he’s able to do, getting all the tutoring from [defensive line coach] Kris [Kocurek] and all the guys in his room. So, I am excited about a lot of people. That’s just a few just to mention.”
Warner wasted no time getting involved with both players and coaches. When he wasn’t working through drills with the staff, he was keeping teammates energized and serving as one of the biggest hype men on the field.
Warner’s presence off the field is just as important, as the captain helps bring the team together through workouts and bonding activities. Morris addressed this when asked about next week’s canceled mandatory minicamp, as well as the plan to get rookies up to speed and prepared for the start of training camp.
“You know, obviously [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] handles all those things, but a lot of the guys like to be around each other and I know I hate to keep bringing him up, but I know Fred [Warner] organizes a lot of that with our guys and our guys get a lot of positive peer pressure from each other to make sure they come back ready to go and trying to stay mentally sharp, but also finding a way to get away and be with their families and do the things that you need to do in order to be ready for a long season. So, the Niners have played a lot of very long seasons around here and you still have to have time to get away and do some things, but at the same time be ready to go when we come back to training camp.”
