With their season half way over, the San Francisco 49ers (2-6) have decided to move on from one of their veteran players, trading tight end Vernon Davis to the Denver Broncos (7-0). The 49ers and Broncos will swap sixth-and-seventh-round picks this year, and the 49ers will get the Broncos sixth-round pick in 2017, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
John Elway, the Broncos general manager, confirmed the trade in a tweet earlier, saying “We’ve agreed to trade for real-time Pro Bowl TE Vernon Davis from SF. He’ll be a valuable addition to our team with his experience and leadership.”
Vernon Davis was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft and has spent his entire career with the 49ers. Davis happens to be in the final year of his contract and is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. So he’ll be a rental for the Broncos for the rest of the 2015 season.
Davis has 18 receptions for 194 yards in just six games this season. It’s Davis’ second straight season of limited production. Whether that’s a result of Davis being 31-years-old or poor play by his now former quarterback, only time will tell.
At 6’3 and 250 pounds, Davis is one of the NFL’s most talented athletes. His best season was back in 2009, when he caught 78 passes for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns. Davis also had 13 touchdowns in 2013.
Ever since Julius Thomas left the Broncos for free agency this past off-season, they’ve been searching for help at tight end. Thomas signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, leaving the Broncos to try and replace his production.
As of right now, the only tight ends on the Broncos depth chart are Owen Daniels and Virgil Green. Daniels leads the Broncos tight ends in catches with 17, so Davis should provide quarterback Peyton Manning with a more viable option at the position.
“He’s a huge weapon for our offense,’ Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall told NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano on Monday’s edition of Around The NFL. “The guy’s a speed demon. He’s a mismatch for linebackers and safties, so he’s going to help us out tremendously… I think he’ll fit right in to the chemistry that we have, definitely.”
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