Adam Schefter says it’s a ‘long shot’ that Fred Warner plays again this year

ESPN’s Adam Schefter appeared on the Pat McAfee show to provide a couple of injury expectations for George Kittle and Trent Williams:

Kittle is going to push to come back next week. He never tested it last week, at all. They weren’t going to play him on Sunday night. He was out. He’ll have a chance to be back next week, Saturday night against Seattle.

Trent Williams went out of the game and didn’t come back. Older, veteran player. Tough on a hamstring. I think, if you’re the 49ers, you probably want to see if you can get that bye. Give him two weeks off, and bring him back if possible.

Again, we’ll see how the hamstring is feeling this week. See if he has any chance. I think it’ll be tough to come back on a short week with a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing.

Here’s the great part for the 49ers. They give him veteran rest days during the season. So, the other left tackle they brought in last night, he’s kind of used to that. He’s not Trent Williams; nobody is. But at least he had gotten some reps during the season because they were giving him those rest days during the practice week to Trent Williams.

Austen Pleasants held up well in pass protection and was far from a liability as a run blocker. He allowed two pressures and a sack. The 49ers only ran the ball wide and to the left five times. They gained 21 yards on those plays and had a carry of ten yards.

But there’s a difference in going against Austin Booker and Demarcus Lawrence. That’s who Pleasants would face in Week 18.

Schefter continued, this time about Fred Warner potentially returning:

He’s been talking about this on his podcast for the past week. John Lynch said that he’s got a shot. My understanding is that it is, quote unquote, a long shot that he’ll play this season, but it’s a great thing for him to continue to work for, strive for. I would never put anything past that guy. He is as impressive as they come.

If anybody can make it back, that guy certainly can. Everybody would love to see it. Again, the person I spoke to told me long shot. We’ll see if they can make it. They’d have to advance in the postseason. He’d have to continue to make great progress.

It reminds me a little bit of Aiden Hutchinson last year, in Detroit. Same type of situation where there was a lot of conversation about it. Ultimately, it didn’t happen. It would have been great if it did. I kind of feel like that’s where we’ll be here. But with Fred Warner, anything is possible.

It sounds like we can put a bow on Warner’s return this season.