San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has earned an impressive 95.9 grade from Pro Football Focus this season, marking a career-high and the highest grade of any player in the league. While Warner has long been a standout, he has elevated his play this season, making a case that he should be a strong candidate to become the first off-ball linebacker to win the coveted AP Defensive Player of the Year award since Luke Kuechly in 2013.
NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks is among those backing Warner for the award. In his latest column for NFL.com, Brooks campaigns for the linebacker.
"A first-team All-Pro selection in three of the past four years, Warner has stuffed the stat sheet in his first four games, with 27 tackles, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and a sack," Brooks wrote. "And that's despite missing the entire second half of last week's 30-13 blowout of the Patriots with an ankle injury."
Warner left the game before halftime due to the injury and remained sidelined for the rest of the game. He practiced only once this week and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's NFC West matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
When asked this week if having his first child in the offseason helped take his play to another level, Warner said, "I think that's a big part of it. Having my son, it kind of clears all the gray area in your life of what's important, what's not important, so you could just be clear of mind, remove distractions, things that you realize aren't important, serve no purpose in your life, and you're able to go out there and just play free."
Brooks highlighted Warner's elite instincts, quickness, tackling, pass rushing, and coverage skills, noting that his versatility and game-changing ability set him apart as one of the NFL's top defenders.
"Simply put, Warner is playing the game at a level few can match," Brooks wrote. "He is revolutionizing the position as a multifaceted defensive playmaker, and his impact extends beyond the stat sheet. The 49ers embrace a 'bully ball' style built on effort, toughness and physicality. Warner sets the tone with sensational play in every aspect, and his teammates follow the captain's lead."
The 49ers, currently 2-2, seek to rise above .500 with a win against the Cardinals on Sunday at Levi's Stadium and further improve their record four days later against the Seattle Seahawks. With the offense missing star playmaker Christian McCaffrey and some other early-season injuries, the defense has challenged itself to step up. It delivered a strong performance against the Patriots, highlighted by Fred Warner's interception of quarterback Jacoby Brissett, which he returned for a touchdown.
"With all that uncertainty, Warner has taken the lead by providing unreal playmaking in crucial moments," Brooks noted. "With all due respect to standouts like Aidan Hutchinson, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt, no defender has enjoyed a better start to the 2024 season than San Francisco's man in the middle."
