The San Francisco 49ers officially placed linebacker Fred Warner on Injured Reserve on Saturday, as he’s expected to miss the rest of the year with a broken and dislocated ankle.
The 49ers didn’t activate
a linebacker from the practice squad ahead of the game, setting up rookie Nick Martin to make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
But, San Francisco is also looking for potential help at linebacker following the injury, as they worked out five linebackers on Saturday: Kam Arnold, Stone Blanton, Ben Niemann, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Chandler Wooten.
Two players in the group have previous history with the 49ers. Blanton was an undrafted free agent this past year, whom San Francisco had signed to a three-year deal back in May, but got released before the season began. Wooten was on the team’s practice squad for a week last year.
Arnold was an undrafted free agent this year who initially signed with the Washington Commanders. Niemann is a seven-year NFL vet who has been with several teams around the league. He was most recently with the New York Jets practice squad. Reeves-Maybin is also a vet, playing eight years in the NFL so far. He was released by the Detroit Lions in the offseason after signing a two-year, $7.5 million deal in Detroit.
Currently, the 49ers have Tatum Bethune, Dee Winters, Luke Gifford, Nick Martin, and Curtis Robinson on the active roster, with Jalen Graham on the practice squad. So, they could use an extra body with Warner done for the year.
