Denver Broncos acquire Vernon Davis

                The Denver Broncos sent a late round pick in the 2016 and 2017 draft to the San Francisco 49ers for tight end Vernon Davis and late round pick in the 2016 draft.

                The Broncos really got a steal in this trade. While Davis’ production has been on backsliding in the last two years, most of that can be traced to the regression of the 49ers organization as a whole. He’s been needed as more of a blocker to keep Colin Kaepernick upright while he worked through progressions at a slower and slower pace. Even when he was out running routes, he was on the receiving end of mostly bad throws that didn’t put him in a position to make plays.

               

              Gary Kubiak’s offense relies heavily on the tight end. Even though most point to the zone running portion for the offense as the central feature, the tight end makes it all possible. The tight end is normally running the intermediate routes and check downs, keeping the offense moving in 3^rd and middling situations. Owen Daniels had exceeded at this aspect of the passing game, which (in addition to his excellent blocking) is why he’s been with Gary Kubiak for the last decade. However Daniels lacks something that fellow 2006 draft pick Davis has, extreme athleticism and ability to stretch the field.

                That last quality should mesh well with Peyton Manning, whose has always thrived when he’s had tight ends who could stretch the field and create mismatches with linebackers (Dallas Clark, Julius Thomas). With Davis, Manning can work the middle of the field in a way that Daniels just couldn’t. He can punish defenses for having safeties shading Emmanuel Sanders or Demaryius Thomas. He can work mismatches against linebackers and most importantly, not sacrifice the run game to do so. Julius Thomas was never considered a great blocker, while Davis has developed (by force at times) into one of the better blockers at the position.

                Playing under a coach who favors tight end matchups with one of the smartest quarterbacks to ever play the game, Davis should not only see his production increase, but also get the chance to run deep in the get chance to run deep into the playoffs once again.