The San Francisco 49ers announced Monday that linebacker Fred Warner has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Warner did not practice on Sunday.
A player that goes on the list has either tested positive for COVID-19 or has quarantined with or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. Teams cannot disclose which is the case.
“I think it’s just a good reminder that no one’s out of the woods,” said 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan. “…[W]hen you go a few weeks with nothing happening, you can start to feel pretty safe and it’s a reminder that stuff’s out there.”
Wide receiver Richie James, Jr. and running back Jeff Wilson both were on the list, with James spending eights days on it and Wilson spending five days. Both were activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 list on August 4.
“…Nothing changes with how we do things,” said Shanahan. “Our rules are pretty set in stone. That’s why I think it is real safe in here, but we’re not in here 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So, this type stuff is going to happen and it’s going to continue to happen at times and we’ve just got to make sure we are on top of it and do the best we can.”
Warner had a great training camp before missing the last day, and Shanahan is not concerned about anything changing in terms of his ability on the field once he’s back with the team.
“Fred gets better each year,” Shanahan said. “He came in and played at a high level as a rookie, put a lot of pressure on him as a rookie and that pressure paid off because it gave him a ton of experience. He rose to the challenge then, and he’s taken it to a whole other level each year. Fred is as much of a pro as I’ve been around. While he’s not in here, I’m sure he’s in his apartment doing bag drills or wherever he’s living, just going crazy that he can’t be in here. So, Fred’s a stud. Whenever he can come back, he will be ready to go.”