​Fred Warner’s return from a gruesome ankle injury didn’t take long to produce milestones. In San Francisco’s Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the star linebacker passed two franchise legends on the all-time leaderboards, further cementing his status as one of the greatest defenders in 49ers history.Warner logged 11 combined tackles against Los Angeles — five solo, six assisted — pushing his career total to 951 and moving him past Patrick Willis for the most tackles in franchise history. He also forced a fumble in the win, his 18th career forced fumble, moving him ahead of Charles Haley atop the 49ers’ all-time list in that category as well. Both Willis and Haley are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Fred Warner came back and immediately made his presence felt for San Francisco11 TKL, 5 SOLO, 1 PD, 1 FFA strong return from the heart of the 49ers defense. pic.twitter.com/FIAE3pEbcj— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 11, 2026The milestones are made sweeter by what Warner had to overcome to reach them. Last October, he suffered a broken and dislocated right ankle in a Week 6 loss to Tampa Bay, an injury that required surgery and ended his 2025 season after just six games. Before that, Warner had missed only one game in his first seven NFL seasons.Warner, 30, said in January he could have returned had the 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship Game, and he came into 2026 with no restrictions. Sunday’s outing was the clearest sign yet that he’s back to full strength.The resume Warner is building is hard to argue with: four Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections, a sixth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2023, and four consecutive seasons of at least 130 tackles before the injury. He signed a three-year, $63 million extension in May 2025, a deal that now looks like a bargain given how quickly he’s climbing the franchise’s record books.Passing Willis and Haley in the same game is a fitting way to open a season that many expect to end with Warner adding still more hardware — and more history — to his name.This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Fred Warner passes 2 49ers legends after Week 1 performance