The 49ers have been granted a one-game roster exemption for wide receiver Jerome Simpson, who is coming off of suspension, as Cam Inman of the Mercury News tweets. Simpson, who was suspended for three games to start the 2014 season, served his latest penalty as a result of a July incident in Bloomington, Minnesota.
While Simpson has had his share of off-field issues, he had productive seasons on the field in 2011 and 2013. The numbers the 29-year-old posted for the Bengals in ’11 (50 receptions, 725 yards, four touchdowns) were nearly identical to the ones he put up for Minnesota in ’13 (48 receptions, 726 yards, one TD).
Along with Torrey Smith, Simpson was one of the free agents brought in this season by Baalke and company to replace a slew of departing players, including receivers Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson, and Brandon Lloyd. Some were surprised that San Francisco signed Simpson soon after their release of Ray McDonald, but the club is presumably confident that the wide receiver will stay on the straight and narrow.