Tatum Bethune’s role with the 49ers has barely budged this season, even after his first activation of the year Monday against the Washington Commanders.
San Francisco didn’t need the linebacker depth emergency it dealt with last season nearly as often this year. Fred Warner is back from his season-ending ankle injury and has looked every bit the force he’s known to be, while Dre Greenlaw has been available in every game he’s been eligible for, aside from his foolish head-butt against the Seattle Seahawks.
That has pushed some familiar names down the pecking order, Bethune included. After doing a solid job filling in for Warner last season, Bethune had only been active for one game entering Monday. He wasn’t injured; the 49ers simply chose other backup linebackers such as Garret Wallow and Luke Gifford on the active roster.
With Greenlaw and Wallow out Monday night, Bethune finally got the call. But that didn’t lead to any defensive work. He played only on special teams and didn’t log a single defensive snap.
The explanation, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, is pretty straightforward.
“The 49ers clearly see Bethune as a middle linebacker and not someone who excels at the weak and strongside roles,” Barrows wrote.
That leaves Bethune in a narrow lane. Unless Warner gets hurt, he doesn’t appear to have much of a path to meaningful defensive snaps. The MIKE spot is its own job, and Bethune looks to be tied to that position more than to Greenlaw’s role on the outside.
It’s a tough spot for a player who showed enough last season to look like a legitimate NFL linebacker. But the 49ers have other options now, and rookie Jaden Dugger has added value by handling linebacker duties and, at times, working on the defensive line. That kind of versatility gives San Francisco another reason to keep Bethune on the fringe.
For now, Bethune remains part of the picture, even if the picture is small. And with the way injuries tend to pile up for the 49ers, he could still be asked to step in again later this season.
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