Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The 49ers activated Michael Crabtree to their 53-man roster Monday immediately upon releasing return specialist Allen Rossum.
The move seemed a little curious because the NFL had awarded San Francisco a two-week roster exemption for Crabtree. Why activate him now? Why not wait until Monday of next week? There would seemingly be no advantage to using a roster spot prematurely.
But there is an advantage in this case.
Leaving open a roster spot would have forced the 49ers to release receiver Dominique Zeigler from their practice squad.
What? How could that be? Here is how: This is Zeigler's third season on the practice squad. Any player spending a third season on a practice squad can do so only if his team keeps 53 players on its active roster at all times.
Releasing Rossum without filling the 53rd roster spot would have affected Zeigler's eligibility.
Another teaching moment here on the NFC West blog.
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.