The San Francisco 49ers made a roster move Friday afternoon, and whoooo boy it's a biggie. The team had until 1 p.m. PT to activate wide receiver Jerome Simpson from the suspended list after getting a one-game roster exemption this week. The team activated Simpson, and made room for him by placing safety Antoine Bethea on season-ending injured reserve.
Bethea injured either his shoulder or his chest in Thursday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. He left midway through and did not return. On Friday, Jim Tomsula said he was getting an MRI, but did not go into more detail. It obviously turned into something serious.
The Simpson activation was expected, but the Bethea injury definitely comes out of left field. Jaquiski Tartt took his spot in the lineup on Thursday, and would seemingly be looking at a starting role the rest of the season. Considering how badly the 49ers season has gone thus far, getting him into the starting lineup is not the worst thing in the world. I'd prefer it not be because of injury, but such is life.
As for Simpson, I don't really know how much activity we can expect from him. Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith are the starting receivers, but it's not like much else is happening after that. Bruce Ellington barely plays, and Quinton Patton does not do a whole lot more. I don't know that we can expect much of anything from Simpson.