Lynch shares 49ers' LB plan in case Warner is out vs. Cardinals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

John Lynch and Co. are preparing for a scenario in which All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner's ankle injury keeps him off the field on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium.

General manager Lynch discussed San Francisco’s contingency plan in case of Warner’s absence during an appearance on KNBR's "The John Lynch" show on Friday morning.

With the 49ers’ linebacker depth is in question, Lynch is considering alternative options to count on, like rookie Tatum Bethune.

“We gotta figure that out,” Lynch told Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher. “We’re a little thinned up at linebacker, but there’s always a plan. A guy we kept, another seventh rounder, Tatum Bethune. It’s hard to play a rookie at Mike linebacker.

“Fred did it his rookie year because you’re effectively the signal-caller. A little bit through training camp, we saw Tatum had the makeup of a guy who could be a signal-caller. We call it the green dot because they are the ones with the coach in their ear, and Tatum is that type of guy.

“He’s a green dot. He can grab a huddle. He can communicate. And the guy is a tackling machine, so Tatum is a guy who can see some action.”

As Warner recovers from the ankle injury sustained in the 49ers’ Week 4 win against the New England Patriots, Bethune was one of a few players mentioned in San Francisco’s contingency plan.

On Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters on the importance of signing Jalen Graham, the 49ers’ seventh-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, to its 53-man roster from the Washington Commanders' practice squad.

Lynch, two days later, doubled down on Shanahan’s sentiments over the benefits of adding reinforcements to an injury-riddled linebacker unit.

“We picked Jalen Graham off the [Washington] Commanders practice squad,” Lynch added. “I like what Kyle said the other day, ‘Adam Peters stole him from us. We stole him back.’ We’ve always liked Jalen since we drafted him.

“We got him back in the fold, and, obviously, we have De’Vondre [Campbell] and Dee Winters. So we have some depth there. We’re a little banged up. [Demetrius] Flannigan-Fowles would be in that mix as well, if healthy.

“He’s battling a calf injury as well. We will see where it plays out, but you gotta be prepared for everything, and we’ll see on Friday as well.”

Despite Warner’s optimism of playing on Sunday, it’s possible San Francisco can take a more cautious approach to its star linebacker’s return.

From the sounds of it, the 49ers are certainly preparing for four quarters without their defensive heartbeat on the field.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast