If you’re a 49ers fan who is dead tired of the “next man up” cliche, it’s more than understandable. It’s a trope that’s been ringing in the ears of Niners fans since the beginning of the doomed 2024 season. Reprieve isn’t near, at least when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. San Francisco will have to hope that its young depth on defense takes “next man up” to heart, attempting to fill the void of two perennial All-Stars with a patchwork quilt of unproven rookies and second rounders. It won’t just be difficult, it won’t be possible.
As Billy Beane (or maybe just Brad Pitt) once said to a room of aging scouts, we can’t replace Giambi. But we can recreate him in the aggregate. John Lynch has hinted to as much. We can’t replace Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, but we can recreate them un the aggregate with high production from players like Tatum Bethune, Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, and Nick Martin. For the 49ers, it’s become about minimizing the carnage keft in the wake of the broken bones and snapped ligaments of their future hall of famers.
Lynch joined Murph & Markus for his weekly check in on Thursday morning. He was of course asked initially about the emotional impact of the loss of a player like Warner. In many words, next man up.
John Lynch weighs in on the loss of Fred Warner:
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 16, 2025
"There's no doubt it was a gut punch... Fred really is a heart and soul guy. He leads with his actions, he's vocal, he's all of it. He's going to be fine, unfortunately we'll be playing without him for a while, and that is a tough… pic.twitter.com/QoaxVKnp8z
Kyle Shanahan raised eyebrows in the Bay Area and all over the football world when he casually dropped a “three months” timeline for Fred Warner on Monday morning. It seemed flippant at the time, but as fans and media members did the math, they realized that would mean he could be back for the playoffs. John Lynch provided some clarity, but didn’t completely shut down the idea of a return. Soooo you’re saying there’s a chance?
"We'll talk to the Docs... let's get there and let's see. If you give Fred a timeline he'll want to break it and beat it. We'll see if it's possibility, we just have to put in the work so perhaps it is."
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 16, 2025
Lynch on the possibility of Warner returning for the playoffs via… pic.twitter.com/D8X5IMZvYf
Brock Purdy’s section at the 49ers infirmary is also a well covered wing. The newly rich franchise quarterback has been working his way back from a nagging case of turf toe, which has kept him out of four of San Francisco’s six games, and severely hindered him in the Niners’ week four loss to Jacksonville. Lynch was asked about Purdy’s timeline with a very simple, “who’s your starting quarterback this week?” He shed some light on Purdy’s timeline, and also praised the play of Mac Jones in his absence.
“We’ll see!” Lynch said. “It was great to see Brock out there in practice. Mac’s been tremendous for us. Brock’s getting closer. Mac is running our team very efficiently in the absence of Brock, but Brock is our franchise guy and when he’s ready we welcome the opportunity to have him back.”
Steve Young Joined Dirty Work on Wednesday afternoon for his weekly update. In typical fashion, he painted an abstract picture of why the 49ers should be optimistic about the season wven without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. He referenced Hoosiers, and Pollyanna, as one does. His main point? They shouldn’t have a chance, but they do.
He also touched on what is becoming an uncomfortable Jauan Jennings saga. Jennings has had a rocky start to 2025 after a semi-contentious hold in highlighted his summer. He was seen on Sunday in Tampa Bay arguing on the sidelines with Kyle Shanahan. Following the game, he told reporters he’s been dealing with multiple broken legs and a bad ankle. It’s fair to speculate that he is frustrated with his volume of targets, given that the deal he and the Niners’ brass came to in August was heavily incentive-laden.
“I can tell you Brock and Mac don’t care who’s open,” Young said to Copes & D-Pop. “The last thing you want to do with Kyle is go bitch and moan about it.”
