49ers’ Fred Warner reveals he’s been playing with ankle fracture; Brock Purdy returns to field today

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy‘s shoulder again restricted him from throwing and Dre Greenlaw made a much-anticipated debut from an Achilles tear, but those weren’t even Wednesday’s most jarring health updates for the injury-riddled 49ers.

One name not on the 49ers’ injury list is Fred Warner, who revealed Wednesday he has been playing through a lower leg fracture for the past two months. Warner has not missed a defensive snap since a Sept. 29 ankle injury against the New England Patriots.

“It’s something I deal with every game. I get on that table before the game and get it shot up every game just to be able to roll,” Warner said Wednesday. “But it’s not an excuse, it is what it is. That’s the NFL. You’re not going to be healthy. You have to find ways to execute, to play at a high level, and to win every week.”

Warner, a unanimous All-Pro last season, says “we’ll see” whether he can keep playing for the 49ers (5-6) with six games left in the regular season. Next up is Sunday night’s visit to the Buffalo Bills (9-2).

“Anytime you fracture a bone, if you just continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself,” Warner added. “So you’ve just got to continue to fight through.”

He missed two practices after what coach Kyle Shanahan initially termed a “day-to-day” ankle injury, and Warner was questionable for a Week 5 game at Arizona, in which he played every snap of that NFC West defeat.

His four missed tackles last game were his most since his 2018 rookie season. Warner has also had to play without Greenlaw, his longtime sidekick who practiced Wednesday for the first time since tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl. Greenlaw broke down the pre-practice huddle.

As for Purdy, he went through the typical motions — footwork, play-action fakes, drop-back moves — but otherwise observed the 49ers’ three other quarterbacks throw in warmups. Purdy made only two soft tosses, one to an equipment staff member and the other to Kyle Juszczyk as running back warmups began.

On Monday, Shanahan said Purdy reported no pain upon throwing on the side. The 49ers were overwhelmed 38-10 Sunday by the host Green Bay Packers as Brandon Allen started in place of Purdy, who had not previously missed a start because of injury through nearly two years in that QB1 role.

Purdy did not throw during last Wednesday’s practice because of shoulder pain that arose during the 49ers’ Nov. 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. After some light throwing last Thursday, he left practice to undergo treatment, and that continued through the weekend as he traveled with the 49ers for their three-day stay in Wisconsin.

With so many 49ers battling injuries, the Bills are doing extra preparation for the 49ers’ contingency plans.

“We have to prepare for them to be as healthy as they’ve ever been, just because we don’t know,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters Wednesday. “… It makes it a little tougher and you spend a little more time with the prep.”

Although McDermott and Shanahan faced off as NFC South coordinators a decade ago, McDermott has yet to face Purdy, for whom he has “a lot of respect.”

For the second straight week, the 49ers will not make their starting quarterback available to media until Friday, whether that is Purdy or Allen. There is no media access on Thursday.

HEALTH CENTER

Defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique, hip) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) remain out of practice, the latter of whom was seen riding a scooter through the locker room to support his wounded leg.

Bosa, after missing his first game of the season, says he’s making progress against oblique and hip injuries.

“I still need to get better before I’m ready to go, so this week will be big,” Bosa said. “I’ll know a lot more in the next couple of days.”

Also not practicing were running back Christian McCaffrey (rest), cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee), left guard Aaron Banks (concussion), defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (concussion) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee). Limited were right guard Dominick Puni (shoulder) and defensive Kevin Givens (groin).

McCAFFREY UPDATE

McCaffrey is three games into his season with 149 rushing yards on 43 carries and 132 yards on 13 catches. Shanahan called it “unfair” to criticize the scoreless-so-far McCaffrey for not playing at an All-Pro level after missing so much time with dual Achilles injuries.

“You have to manage your expectations a lot of times, but for me, it’s not about anything statistically right now, it’s not about that stuff,” McCaffrey said. “It’s about getting better every single day. I know I’m doing that, which I’m excited about. My mindset is always the same whether I have success or failure. I think when you lose and maybe you don’t jump out on the stat sheet, your failures get highlighted.”

SORENSEN SPEAKS

After allowing a season-high 38 points to the Packers, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen pointed to failures in tackling, forcing turnovers, stopping running back Josh Jacobs (106 yards), and red zone stops (0-for-5).

“The list is pretty long in my book,” Sorensen said.

Sorensen noted that communication issues “start with me,” in terms of the 49ers’ embarrassing consecutive 12-men-on-the-field penalties.

“There’s no excuse. There’s no excuse. Players, coaches, all of us,” Sorensen added. “… As a unit we are getting better. You want to see it applied and win the game.”

BUFFALO INJURIES

Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) did not practice for the Bills while wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist) and right tackle Spencer Brown (ankle) were limited. Linebacker Matt Milano could come off injured reserve and make his season debut Sunday; defensive tackle DeWayne Carter and left tackle Tylan Grable had their IR evaluation windows opened Wednesday.

OFFENSIVE LINE HELP

With Banks in the concussion protocol and Puni dealing with a shoulder injury, the 49ers made room on their practice squad for offensive lineman Cameron Erving, a versatile veteran who was released from the Houston Texans’ practice squad last week.

BYE-WEEK BOUNCE

The Bills (9-2) won six in a row before their Week 12 bye. They’ve won coming off their bye for nine consecutive seasons, including home returns between 2017-22; they won 20-17 at Kansas City in a Week 13 affair last year.

“I don’t have an exact formula. It’s about us getting back to what we do, getting back to the basics,” said McDermott, who’s in his eighth season, like Shanahan.

The Bills are the 49ers’ fourth opponent this season who are coming off their bye week. Previously, the 49ers lost to the Chiefs in Week 7 (28-18 at Levi’s Stadium), beat the Cowboys in Week 8 (30-24 at Levi’s Stadium), and lost to the Seahawks in Week 11 (20-17 at Levi’s Stadium).